


All of me (Peter Parker x Reader)

by Goldenfire152



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, F/M, Fight Scenes, Fights, Fluff and Angst, High School, Hydra (Marvel), Hydra Agent Reader (Marvel), Marvel Universe, No Sex, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Superheroes, Superheros, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-25 04:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 80,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20370628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldenfire152/pseuds/Goldenfire152
Summary: The civil war was over. What once was a strong group of legendary heroes is no longer, and Tony is left to pick up the pieces on his side of life. And with fewer numbers, he's not taking any chances in terms of security. And as for Peter... He's relaxing. And nobodies stopping him after the events of homecoming.But everything is about to come crashing down when mysterious and deadly HYDRA agent, (y/n), is caught during a mission. She's dangerous and calculated, with the powers of possessing countless more and weapons at her disposal.Life is sent spiraling out of order as she is forced into a life she never saw herself in. And on top of that, she's tasked with training the newest member of what's left of the Avengers. And neither is thrilled.But along the way, she did something she never thought she could do... She learned everything life had to offer. She starts to find herself, and Peter is there for every second of it.I don't t own Marvel or any of the characters owned by them. Your powers are inspired by Erza Scarlet (for those Fairy Tail fans out there) with my own personal twist to it.





	1. Prologue

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The moon shone a bright white in the sky, radiant stars accompanying it as pale light covered the surface of the desert terrain. Cactuses and rocks cast dark shadows in their wakes on the sand and dirt, the biggest shadow being drawn from a small mountain, covering the surface of the small cliff in darkness. It made sight a problem, as anyone could easily walk straight to their death without a source of light. But to a certain young man, it was the perfect cover. He sat in his old and broken-down jeep in silence, looking over at the faint light coming from the small town. It was by no means a great place to live, with crumbling buildings, water unfit to drink, and drugs and alcohol running rapidly through its streets. But it was home. A piece of shit home, yes, but it was all there was for miles on end.

The young man sighed, raising the lit cigaret to his lips before taking a long drag and blowing it out the glassless window. He had been sitting here the cliff since sundown, as per the request of his customer. They had insisted he follow the exact instructions given to him or it was his head. Once again checking the clock, his anger raised as it read midnight dead on. He heard a rustle in the back seats, causing him to turn around. His brows scrunched together as his eyes focused into the seats, his heart skipping a few beats as he did. When he heard nothing, he settled down, relaxing in the worn driver's seat, taking another drag. Relief crossed his face, thanking God it didn’t wake up.

His short-lived relief was killed as a black car rolled up onto the cliff alongside his own. Jealousy bubbled within him as he gazed upon its sleek metal surface, shining even in the non-existing luminosity of the night. The young man watched a figure stepped out of the car, clad in black. He was just barely visible due to the bright headlight of his car, the young man's eyes burning as he adjusted to the sudden light. “Finally. I thought you’d never come. I’ve been waiting here for hours” he said bitterly. The figure laughed, deep and masculine. “All you’ve been doing is sitting there and smoking. It’s not like that’s very back-breaking,” they said, stepping close to the jeep in slow steps. “Stright to business. Did you bring it?” he asked. “Yeah, I did. Allow me” the young man said as he opened his door and stepping out, flicking his cigaret bud into the dirt. As he stood, his knees cried happily at the feeling of being able to stand straight and stretch after hours of sitting. The black clad man took a step closer, as if wanting to follow, yet keep his distance. He watched as the young man opened the door to the back seats and leaned it. A second later, he leaned back out, holding a basket by both handles before turning around giving it to the mysterious man in front of him. The black clad man looked down into the basket, a scowl on his face. “What's got you so pissed, asshole?” the young man asked him, hissing as he spoke in irritation. “Nothing. Just pissed you decided to use a basket instead of something more proper” the black clad man said as he reached into the basket and pulling out a small baby.

The small baby fit perfectly in his arms as he replaced the basket, which was dropped and forgotten on the ground the instant it was securely in his arms. It slept peacefully, wrapped in a tattered old blanket covered in dirt and grime. It only stirred for a moment, it’s small face scrunching together before relaxing once again.

“How old?”

“Only three weeks”

“Boy or girl?”

“Girl”

Both men stared at her, their attention focused on the small babe in silence. “So, about these powers you mentioned, are they even real?” the black clad man asked. “Yeah. It gets crazy when she cries. And she’s always fucking crying. Almost killed me with a knife, and destroyed a building already. Heard about you’re organization and contacted you guys. Never heard of HYDRA before though” he answered. The mysterious man smiled, his grin hidden in the darkness. He had heard that line hundreds of times by now, being a HYDRA agent. Lots of illegal deals and meetings with people who didn’t even fully know who they were. Fools making deals with the devil. “Did she get her powers from you?” the HYDRA agent asked, turning his head to face the young man. “No. She got them from the bitch of a mother” he replied. “And where is she now?” the agent asked. “Spread over the sand in ashes. Died in labor. We already planned to get rid of the welp long before she was born. But this is a good pay” he said, smirking at the thought of the money he was owed. “Or not,” the HYDRA agent said, pulling out his gun, pulling the trigger. A gunshot rang through the air, echoing in the desert. The Young man dropped to the ground, blood seeping from the large hole in his head as he dropped to the ground, his eyes wide open. A look of shock stained on his dead face. 

“Can’t have someone like you wandering around knowing about us” the HYDRA agent mumbled. As he turned around to walk back to his car, he froze in place as he heard the quiet sounds coming from the baby in his arms. “Shit,” he whispered, the baby breaking out into a cry. Her wailing cut through the air, filling the space with loud cries. The HYDRA agent rocked her in his arms. And then he felt it. Raw magic flowing through the air like radiation. He could feel it, emanating from the baby, never once faltering as it flowed from the source. The agent watched helplessly as the ground shook, cracks forming into the mountain. Rocks began to tumble from the top, crashing down as the wind picked up, almost blowing them both away. He had to stop this before they both got killed. He may not have had experience with babies, but his girlfriend did teach him a few lessons back at their base. He took a deep breath, holding the baby close to his chest, protecting it from the bone chilling wind.

“ _ You are my sunshine… My only sunshine, you make happy when skies are gray, _ ”

The baby in his arms opened her eyes, his voice cutting through the wind with ease as it died down some. The agent smiled, happiness and relief taking over his heart. Knowing that he was doing something right, he kept it up.

“ _ You’ll never dear, how much I love you, so please don’t take my sunshine away, _ ”

He watched in fascination as the destruction around him grew smaller and smaller with each word he spoke. It was as if he seemed to be casting a spell, hypnotizing the small babe with his voice.

“ _ The other night dear, when I was sleeping, I dreamed I held you in my arms… And when I had awoken, I saw you smiling, so I laughed alongside with you, _ ”

Bit by bit, everything had stopped and returned to what it was. The wind had ceased, and the tremors that had cut into the mountain stopped spreading. But he didn’t stop. He kept singing, not in fear that she’d start crying once again (though, it was great motivation), but rather because he didn’t want to stop. Something kept him going like it was his job. The HYDRA agent gazed lovingly into her open eyes as she did. They were curious, as she stared up at the strange man holding her so securely. She had never been held… At least, not like this. Not like she mattered. 

“ _ Because you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make happy when skies are gray, you’ll never know my dear, how much I love you, so please don’t take… My sunshine, away, _ ”

The HYDRA agent smile as the baby laid in his arms at ease. Her hands fidgeting as she cooed up at him. “There we go. Oh, you need a name. I know I promised Kate that she would name you, but I can’t help it… (y/n)”.


	2. Chapter 1

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Tony sat in his seat, holding his head in his hands as he listened to Secretary Ross rant and rave like a mad man.  _ He’s been going at this for four hours. Does he ever shut up? _ , he thought. The dark haired man sighed as he let his head fall onto the long table he was sitting at. A loud  _ ‘thump’ _ echoed through the lavish meeting room. Ross stopped abruptly, and Tony wished he was anywhere but in that room, under the threatening gaze of the secretary.

“I’m sorry if I’m boring you, Mr.Stark. I thought the news of a breakout from the most highly secured prison in the whole world would cause you alarm!” Ross exclaimed, moving to stand just before the table to maliciously glare at Tony. Ross’s eyes blazed as his brows fitted together, lips pulled thin and tight.

Tony lifted his head, standing up so suddenly his chair nearly flipped over on it’s back. “And  _ I’m _ sorry for not asking you to skip right to the point. Secretary Ross, is there something you want me to do about this problem, or did you just want someone to vent to?” Tony said a certain level of sass in his voice that only he, Tony Stark, could ever hope to achieve. He would usually try and take a more respectful approach, seeing as Ross  _ was _ a retired general, and a Secretary at that. But his patience had been worn thin an hour ago when he had first walked into the meeting room. Heck, when he first walked onto the  _ floor _ !

Ross walked from the front of the table to the glass wall that overlooked the New York City. It was nothing out of the ordinary, just a sunny day with traffic going through the streets as people walked through their mundane lives. God, how Tony wished he could just jump and joined them. Chance of death or not, Tony’s heart and soul ached to do it. Anything would be better than here.

“Mr. Stark, you signed the accords. Meaning that this is your problem now. These are your new bad guys to find,” Ross said, facing away from Tony to stare out the window. “Well, all except for Clint and Scott,” Ross added.

“Clint and… Scott? Who’s that? And why not them?” Tony asked, his face scrunching at the unfamiliar name.

“The man who grew to the size of a giant, but he calls himself Ant-Man. And they are off of the list because they both chose to stay and serve their time. So they were given the offer of a five-ye arrest instead” Ross said, looking at the dark haired man in the eye.

“Wow… Ant-Man is way too comic bookish. How about Great Ant Scott!” Tony spoke, slight excitement in his voice as he named this new person he had yet to meet. He was sure it would be the highlight of his meeting, as sad as it seemed. But it was better than nothing.

Ross rolled his eyes, his fists balling up as his arms straightened at his sides.  _ It’s like he doesn’t hear a word I ever say _ , he thought bitterly. “I do not care what nickname you wish to give him. Just get to finding the others and turning them in!” Ross yelled, his voice echoing off the walls of the room.

Tony watched as Secretary Ross’s image glitched in its place before disappearing for good. Tony’s shoulders relaxed back as he felt all the weight leave him, making the billionaire feel lighter. It was like Ross was a plague of stress and nerves that affected everyone in his wake. Wherever Ross went, the plague went right along with him.

“You know what you need? A spa day”

Tony’s head whipped around faster than his brain could comprehend at the sudden voice from behind him.

There, standing in the doorway was Happy Hogan. He smiled, as professional as always, making his way into the room. “But take me with you, I could use one myself” he sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting in it.

“Sounds great, but if you didn’t hear, I still have some work to do. Gotta find the others so I can put their asses in jail,” Tony explained, a sharp edge to his voice. He sighed, sitting in the chair next to Happy and leaning back into the seat.

“I know. I was eavesdropping for about five minutes” Happy admitted.

Tony closed his eyes, his mind going a mile a minute. He’d have to set up cameras around the world to look for the ex-Avengers, but he couldn’t do that unless he got clearance from the government, which he had to get by contacting some old office lady named Gladius. It was an endless chain of events and more paperwork than he wanted. “You know what? I’ll deal with this crap tomorrow,” Tony told Happy, who nodded his head, listening to his friend grumble about life. All was silent inside that meeting room until Tony opened his mouth.

“So.. why are you here again?”

“Oh! Right! Umm, we have an update on the cargo that was transferred to the upstate building a while ago. You know, the shipment with Peter and all,” Happy said, gaining Tony’s interest. “It’s nothing bad. But it’s all been safely transferred, finally,” Happy told him.

“Well, that’s good. But what about the kid? How’s he doing?” Tony asked.

Happy resisted the urge to smile at the father-like tone in his voice. “Peter’s doing fine. He’s back to being friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Still texts me though, but only about three times a week. I can hear less _ desperation _ in them now” Happy joked, making both of them chuckle.

“That’s all well and good. Do you have any news about Falcon?” Tony asked, his expression becoming a bit more serious at this question.

Happy’s mind flitted threw his memories, seeming to have forgotten for a split second. “The guy Peter caught? Oh, he’s secured,” Happy told Tony, nodding his head as he did. “After the trial, it was agreed that his abilities and knowledge of alien tech made him pretty dangerous. He’ll be there for a long time” Happy said.

“Like what I’m hearing,” Tony said just before his watched made a double beeping sound, causing him to look at it. His eyes widened, his body straightening up as he jumped to the edge of his seat. “Shit, I’m gonna be late!” he exclaimed, standing up from his chair next to happy and a hurry.

“Why the rush?” Happy asked, his head swerving to follow Tony as he picked up a suitcase from the end of the table.

“Peper and I have a meeting with a party planner for our engagement party. Which reminds me, stop by the kid's place to invite him and his Aunt, will ya?” Tony said in a haste. “Kay, thanks bye!” he exclaimed as he ran out the door, not even bothering to hear Happy’s answer.

Happy groaned in irritation at the thought of having to drive to Queens. Why couldn’t Tony just send a letter in the mail like a normal person? To Happy, it just made things so much easier. Hell, Tony wouldn’t even have to write them himself, he could just pay someone to do it for him!

Besides, how could anyone have a possible idea to where Spider-Man would be?

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“Ned… H-how could you?”

“I’m sorry Peter…  _ I had no choice _ ”

“You always have a choice, Ned! And you betrayed me!”

“At least I can live out my life know I had no reg- YOU FREAKING BLUE SHELLED ME!”

Peter smirked as he watched his Mario Kart character zoom past Ned’s, right over the finish line, guaranteeing his victory. Peter sat up as he held his DS in his hands, adjusting his position on his top bunk to be more comfortable. Looking over the edge, he could see Ned laying on the bottom bunk, his DS in his hands, a look of utter despair edged on his face. “I don’t see the big deal? You blasted me with a bomb,” Peter said, feeling smug about the whole thing.

It was Friday, and Peter had just gotten home from his daily rounds as Spider-Man. It was uneventful as usual. The most heroic thing he did all day was save a child's balloon from floating away into the air. But he was oddly content with how the day had turned out. A few weeks ago Peter would have been moody all day if nothing had happened. But now he was ok with it, even a bit glad. It was like his whole outlook on being a superhero changed.  _ Well, that happens when you get crushed by a whole building and almost die about six times in one night _ , Peter thought.

“But you didn’t have to BLAST ME INTO THE SKY!” Ned exclaimed, throwing his arms out for dramatic flair. “I thought we were brothers man,” Ned said.

“Me too Ned…  _ Me too _ ,” Peter whispered loudly, pulling himself back to his top bunk.

Ned rolled his eyes, going back to his DS screen and waited for Peter to choose the next track. “I regret asking to stay over this weekend,” he stated bluntly, making his friend laughing the bunk above him.

“You showed up out of nowhere at our doorstep and walked in like you actually live here. In what way did you ask?!” Peter replied, scrolling through the tracks before settling for Wario’s Stadium. There were no lies in what he said. Ned had quite literally just shown up on their doorstep right as Peter had come home from being Spider-Man. He wasn’t that surprised, seeing as Ned had been doing this since middle school. It was practically his second home now.

“Good friends ask you to come over. Best friends can break-in and still expect family dinner,” Ned told Peter his fingers jumping into action as they started their race.

“Well, can’t deny you there bro,” Peter replied, lightly gasping as he almost drove into the mud siding of the track.

Ned stared at his screen, buttons clicking away as his character drifted before releasing a red shell. “Thanks. So, you told me that May knows your Spider-Man… How did that work out?” he asked, daring a glance at the top bunk.

Peter almost went off course at Ned’s question, his eyes wide with shock. He had almost forgotten he told Ned about that. It was at the end of the day at school, and he was in a hurry that it slipped his mind completely.

The day Aunt May found out he was Spider-Man was  _ rough _ . After listening to her say “fuck” in every sentence for an hour, she forced him to tell her everything. From getting bitten, all the way to the Falcon incident. As might be expected, she wasn’t exactly thrilled at hearing how her nephew, who was practically her son, almost died and was forced to battle Captain America. But she was proud of him, despite all that, knowing that Peter was doing something good with his powers. It made her happy seeing that Peter immediately knew he had to help people, with no personal gain or temptation in his thoughts.

But the same couldn’t be said for Tony. Aunt May marched straight up to Stark Tower, eyes blazing with a murderous glare ready, completely  _ livid _ at the man that dragged her nephew into his mess. Words were said that day that Peter dared not repeat in his life. But after hours of Aunt May screaming at a terrified Tony Stark, she agreed to let Peter continue his “job”, as long as she was in the loop and had a say in his missions.

“Umm… Honestly, it went better than I expected. Sure, I watched as Mr. Stark hid behind his desk shaking while Aunt May screamed at him, but I still get to carry out my Spider-Man duties,” Peter explained, watching as Ned raced across the finish line. “You asshat,” Peter said.

Even facing the ceiling with no way of knowing for sure, he could feel Ned smirking from his spot under him. “Stop it. I can tell you’re smiling,” Peter snapped, closing his DS and turning it off.

“Oh, you’re just jealous that I beat you two out of three,” Ned told him, doing the same and setting the device next to him.

“Peter! Ned! You boys in here?”

The two teenagers' heads turned towards the door, watching as Aunt May stepped in. “Oh, there you guys are,” she said, a light chuckled at the end of her sentence.

“Hey, Aunt May. What’s up?” Peter asked her, turning over so he laid on his side, facing her direction.

“Oh, nothing big. So, I was making dinner, but it looks like we’re out of some stuff in the fridge,” she explained, her cheeks lightly blushing at the fact she forgot to check if she even had all the ingredients for the meal she was making. “But I was wondering if you guys could go to the grocery for me while I’m keeping an eye on the rest of dinner?” she asked.

Peter watched her push her lower lips out and batted her long eyelashes. And if that wasn’t overdoing it, she gave him her classic puppy-dog eyes for extra measure. Peter let out a sound that was in between a sigh and a groan, knowing that there was no getting out of her pleading gaze.

“... Fine. Come on Ned, let's go,” Peter mumbled, crawling across the top bunk so he could climb down the ladder.

“Thank you  _ so much _ ! I’ll get you guys money for groceries, and extra snacks!” she said, relief evident in her voice.

Nedd shook his head as he walked around the room, grabbing his stuff to go out into town. He didn’t need much, just his phone and wallet, but his backpack would be useful for carrying the groceries back to the apartment. Peter was a different story. Every time he went out, Peter brought his suit, as well as any other tools or equipment he needed with him. But it was always just a precaution for him, in case Spider-man was ever needed close by.

After stuffing their bags with whatever they’d need while out, Peter and Ned walked out of his room to stand by the door and wait for May to come back with the money they needed.

“Ok, so it’s not a full shopping trip, so you’ll only need about thirty dollars, that’s snacks included. And Peter, I swear to god, get me  _ thin mints _ . We ran out yesterday” May told Peter, handing him the money before opening the door for them.

“I will Aunt May. Love you” Peter said as he walked out into the narrow hallway with Ned behind him.

“And be careful!” May cried from her door, closing it as soon as she was done.

Peter shook his head at her last words, having heard them countless times before. Another thing that was different due to his aunt finding out his secret. Every time he went out of the house, she’d scold him to be careful.  _ Please, it’s only fifteen minutes away. What’s going to happen? _ , he thought as he continued walking with Ned, thankful that things were calming down for him.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Thunder clapped though the sky, accompanying the lightning that had shown up only seconds ago to accompany the heavy storm. Ice cold rain poured from the sky in large drops, hitting the ground as hard as a rock. Trees were nearly bent in half at the sheer force of the wind, causing anything loose to go flying in any and every direction possible. The ground was flooded as the rain created rivers that plowed their way through the land, making it nearly impossible to walk in a straight line. It was the kind of storm that could claim lives if one was not careful. And that was just was needed tonight.

Under a bridge, two people fought on the thick metal iron beams that supported it, ready to kill. They were drenched from head to toe, water dripping down their faces and hair, chilling them to the bone. One wore jeans and a simple long sleeve shirt with a jacket while the other was covered blue and silver armor, the metal gleaming in what little light there was under the bridge.

“Give it up, there's only one way this will end… With you left to rot in your watery grave,” the one in armor said, watching as the other was barely able to keep themselves balanced on the slippery beams. Her vexed and emotionless voice made her target shiver from more than just the rain. Her (h/c) hair was stuck to her face. She couldn’t move it away from her sight, not unless she wanted to smear her target’s blood from her (s/c) hand on her face.

The other person was a person in their late twenties with brown hair and pale skin from the blood loss and freezing rain that continued on. She clutched her side to put as much pressure on her wound in vain. It was too big to fully cover with just one hand. Her enemy's words made her look down at the rushing rapids under them. One wrong step and she’d be gone, with little chance at survival in her condition.

“Go to hell,” the woman said before she whipped out a gun from the inside of her jacket, pointing it straight at her head. Her hand shook as she held it, her breathing deep and shaky as she aimed. “Get any closer and you won’t make it to tomorrow kid,” she growled.

“You obviously have no idea who you’re dealing with,” the armored girl said, taking a step closer.

A gunshot rang through the air, it’s sound dulled by the pouring rain around them. The woman stared at the sight in front of her, frozen in place as a look of pure horror was illuminated on her face as thunder and lightning battled for dominance in the sky above.

A silver sword reflected it’s light, it’s intricate detail matching the armor of its owner, a black smudge marking the spot where the bullet had made contact. The girl held it in a tight grip in both her hands, the flat side of the blade hovering in front of her forehead where the bullet was meant to hit.

There no words said as she pulled back her sword, the small black shot mark making its way to her line of sight.

“You’re lucky my weapons and armor repair themselves when they go away,” she stated, (e/c) eyes staring into her targets. She took a step forward, sending the woman in a panic.

She dodged bullet after bullet, blocking them with her sword as she crossed the wet beam, her armor allowing her to have no trouble against the water. She could feel the bullets ricocheting off the smooth metal surface of her sword as she waved it around in quick and calculated movements.

The woman’s fear only increased when her gun clicked, signaling that she had no more bullets to shoot. She looked up with scared eyes as the sword disappeared in a shimmering light.

“HYDRA sent me to kill you and make it look natural. Being underground and all, we can’t take risks anymore,” she said. Her hand flew to the woman’s throat, her grip making it difficult to breathe. She could feel the lady’s vocal cords bob up and down as she gasped for breath, pulse racing against her thumb and fingers.

Hands larger than hers gripped her wrist, nails scratched against the metal plating of the armor. But it only made the grip tighter.

Seconds passed, and the women grew limp until her face was purple, and her body dropped. And the HYDRA agent watched as the body dropped to the rushing water below.

(Y/n)’s job was done, and she could return to base early.

  
  



	3. Chapter 2

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Peter stood in line at Delmar’s Deli and Grocery store, a small basket in his hands as Ned stood off to the side, waiting for Peter to finish purchasing the food.

The basket in his hand consisted of the various ingredients that Aunt May had told him to buy, along with the snacks he and Ned had decided on. But above them all, on the very top in its rightful place, sat the heavenly thin mints for Aunt May.

“Next!” the man exclaimed, waving his next customer on. Delmar sighed, his graying dark hair falling over his eyes before he swept it back over his head.

“Hey, Mr. Delmar,” Peter said, a small smile on his face as he placed the basket on the counter. 

Delmar instantly smiled at him, his heart feeling lighter at seeing his most frequent, and favorite, the customer. “Peter Parker!” he said.

“That’s me,” Peter spoke, folding his arms across his chest as he smiled at him.

“Haven’t seen you here in a while. Thought you left me for good,” Mr. Delmar told him, reaching into the basket and pulling out the thin mints. He looked at Peter as he typed away on his cash register, eyebrows raised.

“For your Aunt?” he asked.

“Yeah, she’s cooking for us tonight,” Peter replied with a quick gesture towards his friend behind him.

“You know, I was always told that the quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Mr. Delmar said jestingly, smiling at Peter. He continued to ring up item after item as they spoke, the total on the screen going up each time.

“Unless it sends you to the hospital first,” Peter quipped. He watched as each item was gently placed in a paper bag.

Delmar let out a deep, rich laugh at Peter’s joke. Peter's heightened hearing focused all its power on that melodious laugh. It's genuine sound echoing through the shop as he rang up the last item.

"Well, if that's the case, maybe I'll have to reevaluate my life a bit, eh?" He asked Peter. "Eighteen ninety-five is your total, " he told Peter.

The brown haired teen dug through his pocket before pulling out the money his aunt had given him. After Mr. Delmar put it in, the old man gave him his change and sent the two boys on their way.

Peter smiled at the old man one last time before turning around and facing Ned. “Let’s go,” he said, walking towards the door. Ned followed him, grabbing the brown paper bag from him and putting it in his backpack to carry.

Queens was bustling with movement as they walked down the streets. People walked in hurried steps, heels of every kind clacking against the sidewalk pavement. Cars and buses drove down the streets, each passenger eager to get home after a long day of work. Even the bright blue sky seemed a bit busy with birds flying across it.

Usually, Peter and Ned would take a bus, wanting to save time so they could get back to Aunt May’s apartment as soon as they could. But it was nice out. They could walk. It’s not like it’d kill them.

_ Plus, Aunt May didn’t give us enough money to take the bus _ , he reminded himself as they passed various stores on the way.

“So, what exactly  _ is _ your aunt making?” Ned asked.

Peter’s eyes widened as his head began to fill itself with tastes and images of horrific meals. Burned, undercooked, practically counting as a new species... any and every possibility was, literally, on the table when Aunt May was cooking.

“To be honest, I have no idea. But I know it’s not going to be very good,” he told Ned as they walked across the street.

They reached Peter’s apartment building in no time, walking up the stairs to his front door. Peter knocked on it, head leaning in to catch any sound. “Aunt May?” he asked. It was silent for a few seconds before he heard her answer, a slight laugh to it.

“Come on in boys!” she exclaimed from the other side of the door.

Peter opened the door, walking inside and leaving it open for Ned. As they walked in, they could see Aunt May sitting on the couch with a man, a bright smile on her face. Peter and Ned could only see the back of his dark colored hair.

“I never knew you were so funny Mr. Hogan,” May said.

“Hogan?” Peter questioned.

In response to Peter’s voice, the man stood up, turning around to face the two teens. “That’s me,” he said, a small smile still on his face from the joke he had told May. He watched as Peter’s face lit up at the sight of his friend. He’d know that face anywhere.

“Happy!” Peter cried, dashing over to stand with him. Peter’s go-to would normally be a hug, but he knew that happy wasn’t really a touchy-feely person. The most he’d ever willingly given Peter was a handshake.  _ A handshake _ .

“Nice to see you, Peter,” Happy smiled, placing his hands in his pockets.

“Wait, Happy as in the guy you text every once in a while?  _ That _ Happy?” Ned asked, causing the older man to look at him with a serious face. 

“Pete, who’s this?” he asked, turning to Peter.

Happy watched as Peter turned his head behind him. Happy took note of the small ounce of confusion in his brown eyes. Then, his eyes widened and he knew what Happy was talking about.

“Oh! This is my best friend, Ned Leeds,” Peter explained to Happy.

At hearing his introduction, Ned straightened up, doing his best to seem more confident than he actually felt under Happy’s suspicious gaze.

“I’m his man in the chair,” Ned said in a dignified manner. An aura of honor could be felt in the room as he spoke those words with a proud smile on his face.

Happy blinked a few times, his memory filing through his mental list of faces to pair with the name he was just given.  _ Ned Leeds, Ned Leed… Oh! _ , he thought, an invisible light bulb illuminating above his head. 

“Is this the friend who called me on your phone the night you caught Vulture? The one who knows?” Happy asked.

“The one and only,” Ned replied.

“Then nice to meet you,” Happy said.

“Great!” May exclaimed, clapping her hands together before gesturing them at the boys. “Now that everyone knows each other, I can continue making dinner! Let me see the stuff I sent you boys to buy,” she said.

“I got 'em right here, May,” Ned spoke. He slid his backpack off of his shoulders. May watched as he unzipped his bag before pulling out the brown paper bag and handing them to the brunette.

“Thanks a million,” she said, a bright smile on her face. She opened the bag as she walked towards the kitchen.

“Don’t worry guys, I’ll be quick,” May told Happy, Peter, and Ned as she began to take out the contents of the bag. 

The three boys smiled as Peter and Ned went to sit in the living room with Happy. Peter sat at the opposite end Happy was sitting in, while Ned sat in a chair next to the couch. They were quiet as May began to quickly cook her meal.

“Are staying for dinner?” Peter asked Happy in a hushed voice.

“Yeah, your Aunt said I could. Why?” he asked Peter.

“Well, Aunt May doesn’t cook as well as she leads on,” Peter told him.

Happy’s face scrunched up at the teen's words. May couldn’t cook? He glanced towards the kitchen, where May was busily finishing dinner, not even acknowledging their conversation. “Are you sure? She looks like she knows what she’s doing,” Happy said.

“Happy,” Peter started. “She sent me and Ned to the grocery store because she forgot to check for all the ingredients,” Peter told him carefully as if he was speaking to a child.

“Peter, he’ll see- no,  _ taste _ , for himself soon enough,” Ned spoke up in a hushed voice from his place in his chair.

Happy rolled his eyes at the two, not believing a word. “Oh  _ please _ . You’re being dramatic,” he said.

Peter and Ned looked at each other, pity showing in their eyes.

“Don’t worry Mr. Hogan,” Ned said. “We’ll call the hospital for you soon enough,” he added, shaking his head slowly as if he was a great prophet who knew Happy’s fate. And in a way, Ned kinda did.

But the food couldn’t be that bad… Right?

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It was so much worse than (y/n) could have ever imagined. If she wasn’t so low on rations, she’d have spit it out the second the disgusting food touched her mouth.

“God it tastes like shit,” she whispered to herself as she forced herself to continue eating.

She sat on an abandoned apartment building, the cold fall air flowing in through the cracked and broken windows. She was wearing a normal black suit that she wore for most missions. It’s thick yet flexible fabric allowing her to be warm and comfortable. She looked around the small apartment she was in.

The walls had multiple holes in them every few feet, allowing her to see the inside of them. The flooring was all wood, old and unsteady with age, was barely able to hold the weight of the old furniture throughout it,

_ No wonder it’s scheduled to be torn down next week _ , she thought.

She was glad she didn’t have to stay in this shithole for another night. She had already been here for a few days, waiting for some HYDRA agent to show up and take her back to her base. Oh, how she wished to be in her own bed, in her own room right now.

Her wistful thinking was cut short as her senses lit up like fire. In the nearby distance, she heard careful, light footsteps coming closer and closer. They were barely audible, and anyone else would never even know that there was someone else coming. But (y/n)’s heightened senses easily heard them.

A gun magically appeared in her hands, holding it straight for the door. Her ears strained to listen as the person walked towards the door that entered the abandoned apartment.

Then, the footsteps stopped, right in front of the door. Silence overtook the area like a hostage, making any other sound afraid of being heard. Then, she heard loud and clear as three knocks were banged from the other side of the door.

_ The signal… _ , she thought. But her gun didn’t go lower a single inch as she waited for the last part. She waited.

And finally, there was one last knock.

(Y/n) sighed, her gun disappearing from her hands as she walked towards the door. She opened it to reveal a man dressed in a similar suit. He had pale skin with blonde hair that was slicked back against his head. His brown eyes were stern, violence hidden in them.

“Cut one head off,” she whispered.

“And another three with replace it,” he said.

(Y/n) stepped aside, allowing him room to walk in. “What took you so long?” she asked him, bitter anger hot on her tongue.

“You got a lot of nerve to be talking like that,” he told her.

“And you have a lot of nerve to keep me waiting. You’d think after being threatened by not only the higher-ups but also me, you’d hurry your ass up,” she quipped.

She looked him over, taking whatever body language she could find. His shoulders were tense, and his arms were stiff as his hands were clenched in fists as if he was expecting to defend his life at any given moment.  _ He’s nervous. That’s good _ , she thought, her blank expression unmoving.

“Whatever. You have the drive that the traitor took with her?” he asked.

The (h/c) haired girl opened one of the small pockets on the utility belt that was wrapped around her waist. Her fingers dug through it and eventually found the small USB drive that the other agent was talking about. Once it was in her grip, she held it up to show him.

It was nothing special to look at. Just a black covering with clear plastic lining that lit up when connected to a device. Simple and efficient. But it was its content that made it valuable. The little USB that (y/n) held in her fingers contained the data of every HYDRA base in the world.

And they almost lost it.

“Tell me, have I ever failed a mission in my life?” she asked the blonde haired agent.

Her question made him fume with anger inside. His jaw had begun to hurt with how hard he was pressing his teeth together. If she wasn’t as dangerous as she was, he would have killed her… but she was right.

She had never failed a mission. Despite her young age, she had been doing field missions for years. She had received more training than all of HYDRA’s greatest combined. She could kill him right now and make the world believe a ghost did it. And that was without considering her powers as a variable.

So all he could do was grit his teeth together and play nice for now.

“And what about the women?” he asked her.

(Y/n) stared at him for a second before she shoved the USB back into its rightful place and walked towards the couch. He watched as she picked up a roll of paper before handing it to him.

The man took it, unrolling it to see that it was a newspaper. And at the top in bold letters, the headline read “ **WOMAN DROWNED IN MASSIVE STORM FOUND IN CHILDREN'S PARK** ”, with pictures to show. Each one showed the women who he recognized as the traitor.

“Feel bad for the kids,” he said sarcastically, throwing it on an old table next to him.

“Shouldn’t have built a park next to a river then,” (y/n) said irritatingly. “Now, I’d love to chat, tea, cake the whole thing,” she told him. “But I would like to go home if you don’t mind,” she finished, giving him a dangerous glare that made him swallow what moister was left in his mouth.

“Let’s go then,” he answered.

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_ Jesus Christ, they weren’t kidding _ , Happy thought as he struggled to keep a straight face in front of May. It proved to be a greater challenge than he expected.  _ Why was I born with the sense of taste? _ , he ruefully asked himself.

Happy looked across the table at Peter and Ned. They gave him complacent looks, their eyes speaking to him. ‘I told you so’, they said to him…

“I never knew you cooked so well Mrs. Parker,” Happy lied, turning to face the flattered women. If lying gave him an excuse from eating, he’d take it. Did it make him a bad person? He didn’t know, but he also didn’t want to spend hours in the bathroom tonight. Life’s full of hard decisions.

“Why thank you, Happy. See, he like my cooking,” she said, facing her nephew and giving him a triumphant look. But she was quick to turn back and face Happy. “But please, if you call me May, I’ll call you Happy,” she told him. 

A gentle smile spread onto both of their faces spread on both of their faces, both kindly gazing into the other’s eyes. “I’d like that,” Happy said.

“Ackem!”

The atmosphere Happy and May had created was destroyed as Peter called attention back on earth, and away from… wherever they were in a few seconds ago.

“So, Happy, not that I’m not  _ happy _ ,” Peter said, a joking smile on his face. But as he sat there waiting for someone to laugh at his pun, nothing happened, only Happy’s disapproving expression. “No, not anyone-ok, fine. But, not that I’m not glad to see you, you don’t come all the way to Queens without a reason,” Peter said.

“Oh!” Happy exclaimed, remembering why he was sent to Peter in the first place. “That’s right! Thanks for that kid,” Happy said.

The whole table watched as Happy patted himself down in his seat, seeming to look for something in his suit.

“Wait, Peter doesn't have a mission… does he?” May asked.

Happy’s heart dropped as he saw her face. He could see all the concern and fear in it, ripping his heart in two.  _ It’s like this family invented puppy-dog eyes or something _ , he thought, his hands searching the insides of his jacket.

“N-no. Not at all- Here it is!” he said, pulling his hand from his jacket. In his hand was a red and gold envelope, the name “ _ Parker _ ” written in silver on the front. “Here you go,” he said, handing it to May, who took it anxiously.

She looked over it before she tentatively opened it, looking at the arc reactor symbol on the wax seal. Everyone watched as she took out a piece of paper and read over it carefully.

“It’s an engagement party!” she exclaimed.

“A what party?” Peter asked, his face contorting in confusion.

Ned rolled his eyes at his friend. “Peter, it says it  _ right there in the name _ . It’s a party to celebrate your engagement,” Ned said.

“It’s for Tony and Pepper! I saw the engagement announcement a few days ago on TV!” Aunt May explained.

“Really?” Peter asked.

“Yeah,” Happy spoke, sitting up straight in his chair. “When you decided to stay ‘neighborhood Spider-Man’, Tony decided to propose to Peper in front of the press,” Happy told them, leaving out the part where he had been carrying the ring around for eight years. They didn’t need to know of his OTP…

“Well, I better get home. It’s going to be late by the time I get home tonight,” Happy said, sitting up from his seat.

Peter watched as his Aunt May stood up with him, a smile on her face. “Well then, let me send you home with leftovers,” she insisted.

Peter watched as Happy paled at her words.

“That would be great. Thanks, May,”


	4. Chapter 3

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


(Y/n) watched the clouds as the plane flew past them, the fiery glow of the setting sun making them seem like they were made of golden amber. It was her favorite place to be… Up high in the sky without a care in the world, away from all of her problems on the ground. While flying in her flight armor was ten times better, a plane wasn’t that bad either.

“Hey, when the hell do we get there?!”

_ Well, it is when there’s no one else with you _ , she thought bitterly. At the sound of the blonde man’s exasperating voice, (y/n)’s attention tore itself away from the window. Her (e/c) eyes glared at him, her fingers twitching as she thought about the idea of killing him right where he stood. She could do it easily, especially when he was distracted with yelling at the pilot.

“We get there when we get there,” she told him, the tone of her voice telling him to shut up.

It was obvious he was angry. He had been after being on the plane for no more than thirty minutes. 

Sadly, that was five hours ago.

(Y/n) didn’t know how much more of this meaningless squabbling she could take. Hell, how much more than the pilot could take.

The (h/c) haired girl looked towards the pilot. His hands gripped the wheel, his eyes twitching as the blonde man behind him continued to complain.  _ Oh yeah, he’s ready to kill _ , she thought. If anyone would know the look of desperate murder, it would be a teen.

The blonde man gritted his teeth as he sat back down on the cold metal floor, his hands twitch in with the need to break something. He just needed to let loose.  _ I can't believe that I was sent halfway across the fucking world to pick up a child. If she's so powerful, why can't she just come back herself _ , he thought. 

HYDRA had certainly fallen far if he was reduced to being a pickup guy. But since the fall of SHIELD as well as HYDRA, the main heads of the terrorist group had left no loose ends. First, they lose the Winter Soldier when he reunited with Captain America. Then, they lost both of the Maximoff twins when Ultron happened. And now, (y/n) was one of their last powerhouses. And if there was one thing HYDRA hated, it was losing.

(Y/n) sighed as she leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes.

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Time passed slowly as the flight continued, slowly inching along like a snail on a highway. (Y/n) passed the time by sharpening her various swords and knives, and cleaning her firearms. The blonde man watched in horror as she did this for longer than she probably should have been able to. Blade after blade, gun after gun. It was as if there was no end.

Once she was done with her artillery check, she went back to looking out her window. She watched as the bright sun sunk under the ocean they were flying over, and the moon rose over the flat desert surface in an inky black sky.

When the pilot finally told them to buckle into the seats, the two HYDRA agents did so eagerly, ready to get off the rust bucket prison they were in.

They felt their stomachs drop as the plane lowered onto the ground before the plane bumped a few times against the ground, signaling that the plane had landed on the ground.

The (h/c) haired girl unbuckled herself from the seat, widening her stance to make sure she didn’t fall as she felt the plane being lowered down. Unlike most HYDRA bases that were physical buildings in remote locations, the one she called home was underground in the middle of a desert wasteland somewhere in Mexico.

(Y/n) grabbed the small backpack that she had been given before she started her mission. It didn’t hold much, only her crappy rations and the file that contained all of the mission information, as well as her targets. So, swinging it around her shoulders, she walked to the back of the plane, waiting for the floor to lower down.

“Thank god we’re here. That trip was unbearable,” the blonde man said, walking to the end and standing next to her. He placed his hands together behind his back as he took an attention position.

“Then I guess you heard yourself talk. At least we know you're not deaf,” (y/n) quipped, her face flat as she watched a vein pop in the man's neck.

“You know, that mouth of yours will get you killed someday, and I’ll be more than happy to do it myself,” he told her. His voice sounded as if he was holding back, forcing it to sound calmer than it actually was.

“Take a number and go to the back of the line. I already got people waiting,” she said.

The blonde man opened his mouth, ready to fight. But before he could, the rear of the plane began to open, revealing the area behind it.

They watched as it lowered to the ground, and walked out onto the cold floor of the base.

The room they had walked in was a sort of giant garage, with numerous vehicles lining the walls. Cars, trucks, planes, helicopters, even motorcycles, parked perfectly in straight positions. It was lit up by LED lights attached to the ceiling in an attempt to provide light without adding to the intense heat the desert provided from above. Around them, people walked everywhere, yelling at their subordinates, or performing maintenance checks… But mostly yelling… A  _ lot _ of yelling.

_ Well, we’re not known for hug and kisses _ , (y/n) thought as she walked through the room. Agents steered clear of her, avoiding her path at all costs like their lives depended on it. She made a B-line for the metal sliding doors, walking past various cars and people on her way.

As she walked closer to the doors, (y/n)’s hand found its way to her utility belt. Opening a certain pocket, her hand fumbled through it. She felt a smooth flat surface, with bumps and lines, etched into it. She pulled out her hand from the pocket, a rectangular silver card.

Reaching the metal doors, her hand automatically swiped the card through a slit that was placed on the door frame. She stood still and watched as the doors slid open, allowing her to walk through them and into the hallway on the other side. The dim lights gave her just enough light to see where she was going, and where to turn. Her steps echoed loudly against the concrete as she made her way through.

“Hey, wait the hell up!”

_ Fuck, this idiot is still here? _ , she thought, momentarily forgetting about the blonde man she had came here with. She watched as irritation crept onto his face, eyes blazing. She had never worked with a person so emotionally immature, it baffled her to an extent.

“You go through more emotions than I do when I clean guns. Keep going like that and they’ll use you for the child’s program,” she stated, glaring at him.

The hallway was silent as he took in her words carefully. The child’s program, also known as the HYDRA Preparation Academy, was where the new agents, specifically children, that HYDRA acquired were prepped and trained for the life of an agent. It was like school in a sense, but with much more to lose if you failed a test. The lucky ones could barely walk after disciplinary meetings. It was also used as a way to get rid of traitors and double agents that had been caught within the walls of HYDRA by teaching the kids how to kill a living person. Often times they were used as moving targets for gun practice, other times stabbing practice. In the eyes of HYDRA, nothing was too far when it came to dealing with traitors. Especially nowadays since they had to be more careful.

The blonde man stared at her, his eyes speaking his loathing for her. “Well, at least I have emotions. You’re nothing but an empty- Ahhh!” he screamed as he was cut off by (Y/n)’s busting her knuckles into his face. A crunching noise could be heard, and blood spewed out from his nose like water from a geyser.

Pain erupted through his head, and he staggered back, hands flying up to his face. Pulling his hands back, his brown eyes wandered over his hands. They were covered in blood, the red liquid sticking to his hands as it poured from his hands and nose itself, dropping onto the floor in little red dots.

He looked up at her, eyes wide with unbridled wrathfulness. “Are you fucking insane?!” he yelled at her, standing up straight.

“Do you want me to answer that?" she asked him. Her voice was flat, reflecting her expression that was void of any emotion.

She felt her heart fold in on itself before it passed a second later as if it wasn’t there in the first place. The blonde man hadn’t lied when he said she couldn’t feel anything. It had been years since she was last able to feel any emotion, much less a feeling. The closest thing she had to that sort of thing was instinctive responses. Everything else was an illusion placed there by the chemicals flowing through her veins. Her “gift”, as the scientist put it, was the only thing they changed about her. She didn’t know if she’d call it a gift exactly, but it allowed her to do her job. And right now, that was all she needed to stay alive.

“Yeah, next time, give me a warning first!” the blonde man thunders, his voice echoing off the walls.

“Agents! Stop behaving like inadequate coddled children before I disembowel the lot of you and discard your bodies for the vultures above us to feed upon!” a gruff and raspy voice hollered out from behind them. Both of the agent's head whipped around to look towards the source.

Their eyes widened as their eyes landed on a tall man, his shadow nearly covering them both as the two agents stood nearly a yard apart from each other. The dark skin of his face was marred by a scar that scaled from the edge of his hairline to the bottom of his jaw on the left side of his face, complementing the nasty scowl on his face. It broke apart the light scruff of a beard he had, the dark hair slightly tipped with white, revealing his older age. His body was covered by a black suit, the red symbol under his HYDRA logo letting them both know who was.

“Sergeant!” (y/n) exclaimed, her body instinctively going into the attention position at his presence.

The blonde man hastily joined her side, taking position as his nose continued to throb and leak blood all over himself. Their hearts beat faster as they watched the Sergeant stepped closer to them, his eyes practically damning them to hell by the devil's will.

His eyes flashed with disgust as he looked at the man, sighing disdainfully. “Clean yourself up you pig,” he growled, stepping back to scrutinize them both.

The blonde did as he was told, and wiped the blood off of his face with the black sleeve of his suit. He made sure to give a slide glare to the girl next to him.

“I see you managed to retrieve Agent (y/n).  _ Kudos to you _ ,” the Sergeant said sarcastically.

Neither agent dared say a single word. Not even breath a single breath in fear of angering theatre man.

“So, you completed your mission I assume?” he asked (y/n), who stood up straighter.

“Yes, sir. I got the drive back, and the woman was dealt with accordingly,” she replied in an informative tone.

“Huh. What did you do?” he asked her. He watched as she slid the backpack from her shoulders before pulling out the newspaper article from the day before. She watched eagerly as he read it, like a child waiting for their teacher's reply when grading a paper.

“Mmm… Well done. I always hated that bitch ever since she stole the last cookie in a meeting last year. She had it coming,” he said, turning around and walking down the hall.

The two agents stood there, not knowing if he wanted them to follow or not. As they watched him walk off, they glanced at each other, asking the other what to do with their eyes. The blonde man nudged towards the Sergeant with his head, but (y/n) only shrugged her shoulders in reply. His shoulders dropped as she did so, his face giving her a deadpanned look.

“Are you guys going to stand there all day or follow me?!” the Sergeant yelled, making them flinch. Now knowing what they were supposed to do, they started walking, eventually catching up to the Sergeant's long strides. They walked in silence through the halls until they came to another sliding door. The Sergeant turned around to face them both, his gaze landing on the blonde man. “That will be all. Leave you yellow-bellied jackal,” he spoke in a grave tone.

The blonde man said nothing as he left, his footsteps echoing as he walked away. (Y/n) knew she’d never see him again, and she didn’t care one bit. In fact, she almost wished she could feel joy for a few minutes to relish the fact that she was finally rid of him.

The Sergeant turned back around, sliding a card of his own through a slot, the door sliding open in less than a second. (Y/n) followed him as he walked into the room behind it.

It was a large room, lit up by giant holographic red screens covering the walls. Most held maps, others showed different databases as the most elite agents and commanding officers of HYDRA all worked in the bustling room. The room was divided into sections that divided the room by divisions and their purpose, walkways, and railings showing the divide between them.

(Y/n) knew this room like the back of her hand, having grown up in this base and spending many days in this exact room. Though, she watched her parents work most of the time. They always told her it was important to learn their work since she would be doing the exact same thing when she was old enough. Turns out, “old enough” was a lot sooner than she thought.

The Sergeant walked through the room with quick steps, knowing just where he needed to go, with (y/n) in tow. Along the way, a few agents of high ranking would briefly walk beside him, conversing until he told them he had more important matters to deal with. After looking behind to see the (h/c) haired girl, they nod their heads respectively to both of them and leave. It was the only place where people didn’t glare at the girl for her power and ranking, and respect was given where it was due.

They finally stopped when they came to a black table, it’s so surface smooth and shiny, it could have been considered a mirror. Sleek matching chairs were placed at its edge. (Y/n) walked up to it, standing next to one of the chairs, her hands placed behind her back. She could only sit if given permission.

Her (e/c) eyes watched as the Sergeant walked to a chair, pulling it out and sitting down. “The drive, agent,” he said, holding out his hand. (Y/n) obliged, her hand digging into the pocket that contained the drive. Once she had it in her hand, she passed it off to his own. He looked at it, inspecting it for any scratches or damage that could have been done.  _ Not a single scratch… Damn _ , he thought. He turned it over in his fingers for a few more seconds, a gruff look on his face as he did so.

(Y/n) stood still until he finally sighed, his eyes turning to her form. “Nice work. Want a sticker?” he asked sassily.

(Y/n) smirked at his comment. “Depends. What kind of sticker?” she asked jokingly.

“No one likes a smart ass, kid,” he told her, looking down at the table.

His eyes and hands searched the edge of the table, trying to find the USB port so he could plug in the damned thing. “Stupid ass high tech table…” he mumbled to himself, slight irritation rising. “Ah! Finally,” he breathed, pushing the drive into the port when he found it. At once the table lit up, showing the HYDRA logo on its screen. He reached over the table, tapping his fingers against it, eventually pulling up the folder that contained the info of the USB drive.

(Y/n) watched as he searched through the numerous files. It took every ounce of what little willpower she possessed not to tap her foot against the floor. 

The Sergeant looked it over until, finally, he turned to her. “Everythings here, as we expected of you,” he said. “You’re free to leave. Now get out of my sight before I give you another mission for tonight,” he threatened.

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” she said bluntly, turning around and walking out of the room, once again making her way to the hall. She couldn't genuinely smile, but she knew she would’ve at that moment.

And the first thing she did was run. She ran through the hallways she knew so well from her early childhood. She didn’t even have to think as her legs automatically carried her past the kitchen, the mess hall, the raining halls, and past the informational storage room that had been there before computers did mostly everything around here. She remembered hiding inside the room whenever she’d play hide-and-seek with her parents when she was a small child. She’d used the millions of files and briefcases inside to conceal her body, though it was useless since she could neither stay still or be quiet.

Only when she came to a familiar set of hallways did she start to slow down, coming to a fast jog.  _ Thank god _ , she thought as she entered the housing part of the base. Her breathing barely raised as her eyes scanned the hundreds of doors, searching for one singular number that marked her room.

“Five-fourteen,” she whispered, her feet instinctively stopping in front of her door.

The number was faded, but still there, in the bright blue paint.  _ I regret throwing that fit with Dad _ , she ruefully. Well, at least it stands out, she added, trying to find a side brighter than her paint color.

Pulling out her card, she slid it through the card slot. It opened to reveal her room, and she walked inside blithely. It wasn’t much to look at. The floor was the same as everywhere else, made up of cold hard concrete. And the walls were a banal shade of gray. Against the wall on the right side was a twin bed. It wasn’t too bad to sleep on, but it wasn’t a five-star mattress either. Next to it was a nightstand, a small lamp sitting on it. On the left side was a beat-up old dresser that held only a single item atop it. A small-framed picture sat on the top. It was a picture of (y/n) and her parents from when she was little.

It was the only family picture they had ever taken, since photographers weren’t exactly in large demand at HYDRA, so she considered herself lucky she was able to have one. She looked over at it, her heart folding again, the chemical in her veins destroying the emotion she would have felt in its place. She didn’t know why. She was only looking at a picture.

Her dad stood in the back, his pale skin and dark hair standing out against the white background as he held a woman close to him. The women, (y/n)’s mom, was as she would describe… a goddess. Her long blonde hair and green eyes fitting well together. And in her arms was a certain little (h/c) girl that could only be (y/n). She couldn’t have been older than three years old. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail as she sucked on her thumb, her wide (e/c) eyes staring at the camera. They all smiled, their pose conveying of the happiness they felt.

But that was in the past.

It had been years since they had been relocated to a different base somewhere else in the world. The (h/c) haired girl; searched long and hard, even hacking into the database before she was caught. She sent countless letters to them, despite being told that they couldn’t reply back in fear of being caught, but every month she delivered them like clockwork.

Sighing, she turned towards the bed, her body singing praises at the mere sight of it. It had been a week since she had slept in a proper bed, and she was looking forward to it more than anything. So, flopping on the bed like a humpback whale to water, she let her body lay there, not even bothering to change into nightclothes with her magic. The laziness in me has won, she internally chanted.

Her body relaxed at once, and her eyes felt as if they were heavier than all the rocks in the world. A peaceful sensation passed over her, the tension of her previous mission slowly fading away until all she felt was the sleep taking over.

_ Finally… Some decent sleep _ , she somehow was able to think as her mind began to drift off into a deep slumber…

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“DINNER!”

Her eyes shot up along with her body, a sniper rifle magically appearing in her arms as she glared at the door with the anger of a thousand angry hornets.  _ Someone was going to die _ .


	5. Chapter 4

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Red hot blood coruscated off of the floor, the body of a woman lying dead on the floor with a hole in the center of her forehead being the source of the blood. It trailed down her head in red lines, the warm liquid pouring and curving around her facial features. It trickled down her face, soaking into her open eyes. It made it look as if she was crying bloody tears before making its way to her nose, where it finally dropped to the concrete, making the puddle grow ever so slightly.

(Y/n) watched as a janitor looked at the horrific view in utter terror. Her observant (e/c) eyes saw their pale faces twist in disgust, the lump in their throat bobbing as they tried to keep the bile inside them stay there. It’d only be another mess for them to clean as they held a death grip on the mop in their heads. 

_ I guess that’s how you know they’re new here _ , she thought as she stood off to the side. Her back leaned against the wall, her blank face facing the janitor as they cleaned up her mess. Her eyes followed the movements of the mop head, becoming pink from blood.

“Clean this up by the time I come back here or else someone will be cleaning up two bodies,” she told them. The (h/c) haired girl turned around without so much as a glance at their face. She walked down the hall in long strides, sleep begging at her eyes to close. But as heavenly as sleep sounded, food sounded equally as great to her stomach.

The walk to the mess hall took no time at all, and (y/n) could already smell the scent of bread in the near distance, causing her feet to move just a little faster until she finally reached the familiar double doors to the mess hall.

Like most of the base, it wasn't grand, nor top of the line. In (y/n)’s opinion, it looked more like a glorified soup kitchen. Industrial ceiling lights hung lowly from the ceiling on thick cords that gave off a white light that shined against the gray walls, a speaker and a clock placed juxtapose to each other above the door. The ceiling itself was missing a few tiles here and there, acting as air vents. The ground was tiled with gritted stone covered in dirt and grime as the result of not having a decent cleaning since the room was first built in the fifties. The seating arrangements were nothing more than metal picnic tables that lightly groaned whenever someone sat in them. The kitchen was separated from the eating area by a wall with a counter allowing food to be directly picked up from the kitchen. The kitchen itself was old and outdated, but they never bothered to replace anything. It still worked after all.

Breathing in the scent of the food that was coming from the kitchen, (y/n) opened the doors and walked inside the mess hall. The room was filled with agents on their breaks, or just to chat with their colleagues. Conversations filled the room, not allowing silence to take over for a second.

She walked across the room, making a B-line for the meal drop off counter. Looking up at the menu above it, she read through the items until she came across the best thing in the whole freaking world.

“Plate of (f/f), now,” she exacted.

The old lady behind the counter glared at her as she went back to the kitchen, watching as she made her way through the room and slapped items on a tray left and right. But it wasn’t long before she made her way back to the counter, dropping the plate on the surface. (Y/n) watched as specks of different foods moved from their spots on the tray. The only thing that didn’t move was a bag of milk in the upper corner.

_ You know things are bad when they replace cartoned milk with bagged milk _ , she bitterly thought as her eyes glanced over her now (though it wasn’t that clean before) dirty tray. Her heart flipped at the sight of things spilling over, moving from where they were supposed to be on the tray.

“Don’t drop it next time, hussy,”

“Shut up, bitch,”

(Y/n) gave one last glare before taking her tray and walking off towards the tables to find a place to sit.

It was packed, but not so much that you couldn’t see places to sit in right away. (Y/n) walked over to the closest empty seat she saw, and sat down in it. Agents talked and griped about their day, complaining about the food’s taste and crappy conditions that went with living underground in a desert.

But mainly the food, much to the (h/c) haired girl’s chagrin. It was true that the food wasn’t all that appealing, and looked like it was made with mold, as well as tasted like it, but she preferred it to her mission provisions.

_ Maybe they’d realize how much better the food is if they got sent on a trip around the world with nothing but bagged food for one and a half weeks _ , she thought, picking up the fork and stabbing it into her food before shoving it in her mouth. She eagerly masticated the food, not caring if the taste in her mouth was like eating spoiled milk mixed with vinegar. But apparently, it was “full of the right things” for the body.

She ate in peace, swallowing every bite she put in her mouth as if her gag reflex had turned itself off for the sake of actual food. She listened to the chatter around her, people talking about how she slept with him, he did this, they both accidentally killed each other, and others coming up with the assassination for a country leader.

_ Nothing new then I guess _ , she thought dimly.

(Y/n) slumped in her seat, feeling the exhaustion finally affecting her. Her eyes burned, imploring her to just freaking close her eyes and go the hell to sleep.

It was a pretty convincing argument.

“Ugh, god…” she mumbled to herself, carefully setting down her bagged milk and placing her head in her hands, rubbing them to relieve herself of the need to sleep in vain.

Using her hands, she turned her head slightly towards the clock on the wall, too lazy to use her neck instead. Her (e/c) eyes glanced up at it through her slightly messed hair, which she was also too lazy to take care of. The hands of the clock both stood straight up, and she knew for a fact that it wasn’t because it was noon.

_ Midnight?! Screw this, I just want to go the hell to bed _ , she thought. Sighing, (y/n) stood up from her seat, dusting her pants off as she did. And, leaving her plate behind, she walked out of the mess hall.

The walk to her room was dull. It was a quick walk to her hall, a quick walk to her door, and a swift swipe of her card before she walked inside her room.

(Y/n) groaned as she leaned against the wall next to her door, her mind slowly relaxing into a free state of mind. Her room was somewhat of a safe-haven for her. There was no one to judge her, tell her what to do, and nor could anyone come in without her permission unless they had a high ranking key card. Hell, there wasn’t even a speaker inside to communicate through! And even then, no one dared do so in fear that death would be waiting for them. As long as she was within these four walls, everything could be made right.

Pushing herself off of the wall, she walked over to the small rucksack that she had been wearing on her back for the past one and a half weeks. It sat on her dresser, tipped over from the weight inside it. (Y/n) stopped in front of it, grabbing by the strap and moving so she sat on her bed, her nightstand to her side. Her hands rummaged through the bag, feeling around the leftover preserves until her hand found a little box. Having found what she was looking for, (y/n) pulled it out.

She looked over the cover of it, her thumb brushing over the words “NORTHERN LIGHTS CLOCK AND NIGHTLIGHT COMBO”, before opening the end of it and taking it out. The top of it, what she assumed to be the nightlight part of it, was white and dome-shaped, while the base of it was the actual clock. A blank screen showed her which direction she’d have to make it face, and a small button was on the other side to control the nightlight. Going back into her bag, she pulled out a small six-pack of AA batteries, opening it and putting them inside the bottom of the clock. The small screen lit up to twelve in a glowing red, and she was quick to set it to the correct time, even if it wasn’t too far off. 

She hurried up, changing into pajamas from her dresser and turning off her lights, placing the clock on her nightstand and turning the light on.

He watched as the light slowly began to add color, the soft light getting brighter every second t was on until it filled the room with a soft dusky light. The (h/c) haired girl watched as vibrant greens, blues, oranges, oranges, and reds shone against the ceiling. And under the soft material of her blankets, she slowly fell asleep.

She didn’t even register the faint flips her heart had done.

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(Y/n) woke up to an alarm clock the next morning, her new alarm clock beeping rapidly, reminding her of the small yipping dogs she’d seen people carry in their purses.

Her body limply stirred from its sleeping state, her hands slowly rising to rub her (e/c)’s. Her mind was barely able to think a rational thought that didn’t result in some random afterthought from a weird dream she had. Even moving her body seemed to cause an enormous amount of concentration.

The beeping continued, filling her ears with its annoying scream. She buried her head in the pillow, not wanting to believe that it was time to get up. Unfortunately, her persistent new clock had different plans.

Groaning, (y/n) finally rolled over on her back, using her elbows to prop her up. She stayed like that for a minute, her vision being covered in spots as her eyes adjusted to the soft lightness of the clock's colorful iridescence. She felt the air rushing through her body, coming out of her in a long, tired yawn. She stretched like a kitten in sunlight, her muscles contracting and shaking as she did so. It was as if the sleep in her was almost gone.

Once again rubbing her eyes, she turned her head, looking over at the beeping clock before reaching her hand over to fumble around to try and reset the alarm. She tried the button on the side, but that only turned off the light, which she turned back on. Her hand fumbled and searched for a button to stop it. Eventually, she pressed down on the lit dome, causing it to click. Just like that, the room was plunged in silence. Letting out a tired breath, her eyes grazed over the red glowing letters that read five-four.

Throwing the covers off of her, (Y/n) rose up out of the bed, taking off her pajamas and throwing them on top of the drawer that stood in front of her. Then, a flash of light filled the room, disappearing like it was never there in the first place. (Y/n) looked down at her body, seeing her normal black mission suit.

After reaching over to turn off the lights from her clock, (y/n) walked out of her room, making her way to the mess hall. She opened the doors, instantly walking into the line to pick up breakfast. The mornings were the busiest time of the day in the mess hall since everyone had to wake up at the same time.

The line moved along rather quickly, telling (y/n) knew everyone was getting the same thing. Two minutes passed before she came up to the counter, a tray once again carelessly thrown to her. She didn’t care to glare this time, for the old hag was already preparing another tray for the person behind her. Taking the tray, she walked away to find a spot to sit.

She slowly stalked the tables, staying by the wall. She was ready to pounce the second someone left their seat.

“Well, well… If it isn’t Agent (l/n), back from the bloodthirsty mission,’

(Y/n)’s heart flipped at the sound of the fraudulently sweet voice.  _ Anger. White-hot hatred and anger _ , she told herself.

“Katherine,” she said, keeping her voice level to show that she wasn’t affected in any way as she turned around to face the girl behind her. “Displeasure as always,” she added.

Katherine Blood. She was the only other girl in the whole base that was close to (y/n)’s age. But unlike (y/n), HYDRA didn’t catch her through a black market deal, or, like most of the children HYDRA, from low security orphanages. Instead, Katherine was found in a dumpster by an agent that has just finished a mission and had happened to hear her wailing. When the agent had checked to see what it was, she was surprised to see a baby no older than a week old covered in blood, writhing every which way in a basket, giving Katherine her lasts name. After that night, she was taken back to HYDRA where she was put into the training academy as soon as she was old enough. She was a tall and lean girl, her muscles hidden well. Her complexion was a solid shade of ivory, a result of barely ever touching even the smallest sliver of sunlight. Her eyes were a sickly shade of green, almost becoming unnatural at times. Her long blonde hair was flat as if she had no life in it. But the one thing that made her stand out was the black streak in her hair that framed her face. She was mostly seen with a smug look on her face with a witty comment on the tip of her tongue.

“Right back at you,” she drawled, glaring at her.

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, catching a glimpse of an agent leaving their seat, ripe for the taking.

As did Katherine’s.

Their eyes met for a moment, green and (e/c) silently battling.

(Y/n) was the first to move, with Katherine quick behind her. They both weaved through the room, moving in between tables and dodging people as they did, only to reach the seat at the same time. Their hands slammed on the table, forearms crossing each other like in ‘X’ formation. Their eyes bore into the others, blazing with unadulterated hatred, scowling at each other as they held their trays in their free hands.

“Back off Blood,”

“Like shit, (l/n),”

Their dispute caught the attention of every agent in the mess hall. Eyes stared at them. Some in fear from the tension they could feel radiating off of the two, some from curiosity, but most from the eagerness to have a show while they ate. Bets were even being made right now, ready to see you would win.

“Unless you want your face to describe your surname, I suggest you leave,” (y/n) spoke, her voice quiet yet stern, meaning business.

“Oh, leave like how mommy and daddy left you?” Katherine asked, in a cruel sing-song tone of voice.

It was as if something inside (y/n)  _ snapped _ . Time stopped for her, everything, even herself, frozen like living statues. Her ears stopped retaining all sound, a high pitched ringing noise replacing it. Her heart flipped painfully. She had felt it flip many times, usually a couple of times a day, but it never hurt like this. It was as if… she was  _ feeling _ something.

Katherine stared at her, a valiant smirk on her face. But she couldn’t deny the small twinge of fear when she saw something glaze over (y/n)’s eyes. Something dark, and dangerous. But she didn’t get time to dwell on the subject before a hard fist was connected with her face. She stumbled back as she felt a searing pain in her cheekbone, no doubt the future spot of a bruise. Her body was in a state of shock, not believing the audacity this girl has to strike her.

_ This bitch has some nerve. Just because she’s some big shot doesn’t mean she has some goddamn right _ , she thought angrily.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said. “Did I… strike a cord?” she asked, lifting her brows as if she was being honest.

(Y/n) said nothing, the only thing coming from her was the seething hatred. Nearby agents backed off a few more feet, the feeling of the intense energy reaching them, and the hooked crowd that gathered around them. 

“I won’t ask again. Leave. Now,” she exacted, her voice sending shivers down people's spines. She watched as the cocky look in Katherine’s green eyes wavered ever so slightly.

“Fight me,”

“You asked for it, you Taylor Swift wannabe. I’m gonna rip the blonde hair out right out of your head,”

The agents in the close vicinity silently ‘ooo’ed at (y/n)’s comeback. And that was all it took for Katherine to freaking lung at her, rage taking control of her body, the desire to rip her eyes of her head being her sole purpose.

(Y/n) was quick to react, twisting her body to avoid the black-streaked blonde, catching her fist as she came flying mere inches away from her face. The force of the action was like a boom, a faint gust of air blew as a result. Clutching Katherine’s fist in her hand, (y/n) brutally yanked the blonde towards her, briefly throwing off her opponent’s rigid stance. Using it as an opportunity, she speedily pivoted on her foot, aiming for a strike at the center of Katherine’s back.

Katherine turned around just in time to dodge the blow, attempting at a jab. (Y/n) blocked it effortlessly, maneuvering her whole body to the right to avoid another hit. She took a small step forward, drawing her fist back to land a punch.

Katherine ducked down, kicking her leg out, causing (y/n) to fall from her place, feat flying up as she landed on her back. There was no hesitation as Katherine jumped her, straddling her abdomen, hands going for her throat. (Y/n)’s hands flew up to catch them, one in each. Their hands shook from the sheer force of each other’s strength pushing against one another.

Their audience watched in awe, anticipation leading them to the edge of their seats.

In the back, two men sat next to each other, food forgotten on their trays. “This his better than the time two people fought over that one cookie!” she whispered, the man next to him mindlessly nodding his head.

(Y/n) and Katherine’s hands trembled as they glare into one another’s eyes. But ever so slowly, (y/n)’s hands began to move forward, and the look in Katherine’s eyes fell. The blonde girl pushed down harder and harder, but no matter what, she couldn’t seem to move her hands.

“No,” Katherine breathed.

(Y/n) used the distraction, twisting her body to the side, making Katherine fall off next to her one the dusty floor. Their eyes met, and Katherine’s hand formed a fist, flying for (y/n)’s nose as (y/n) lifted her elbow and sent it down to the blonde’s stomach. The blows descended at the same time, both teens feeling the numbing pain from their opponents strike.

But (y/n) wouldn’t let the pain distract her. She brought her foot up, swinging it to kick Katherine right in the face.

“Shit!” Katherine exclaimed, one hand clutching her nose, blood spurting from it. She crawled backward, standing up at a safe distance with (y/n) following suit. 

(Y/n) was the first to throw a punch, connecting it directly with Katherine’s jaw, as Katherine socked her in the lip. Blood leaked from (y/n)’s mouth and dripped down her face, as did the blood from Katherine’s nose. They threw punched in a crazed state, neither of them caring about who would win anymore, the only goal in mind to completely ruin the person in front of them. And more blood was shed, but more Katherine than (y/n). (Y/n) had formed a cut on Katherine’s cheek and forehead that was accompanied with black eyes, while (y/n) gained a bloody nose and a black bruise on her forehead.

(Y/n) finally managed to gain the upper hand when she struck one of Katherine’s black eyes, momentarily blinding her. (Y/n) took the chance she had given herself, pouncing on the girl and forcing her to the ground, her arms wrapped around her neck. The blood flowing from Katherine’s injuries seem to increase, then slowly decline. The blonde haired girl clawed at (y/n)’s arm, gasping for breath.

“Get off of me!” she croaked, her voice getting horse and quiet.

But (y/n) held it steady, until the girl in her hold was barely even moving, and-

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!”

(Y/n) and Katherine’s eyes widened, and they both looked at a pissed off Sergent. (Y/n) was still choking the air out of Katherine, but neither one seemed to register that fact at the moment.

The Sergent looked at the two girls, covered in blood with a look of desire if murder in those green and (e/c) hues. Anger and annoyance erupted in him. It was like they never grew out of their toddler phase.

"(L/n)! Blood! Get up,  ** _now_ ** , " he demanded.

If (y/n)'s sent a shiver down everyone shiver, the Sergeant's rough anger ruled voice was the sound of the devil himself. And he was about to send these two guys to hell.

(Y/n) and Katherine scrambled off if each other hastily, standing in an attention position.

"If you want to fight so bad, maybe you won't mind training the whole day, without much or dinner, " he said, eyes shooting darts at their heads. "Get going. It'll be a long day. Everyone else, I get your bet money," he said, a series of groans coming from agents as a result. The two girls walked away, their heads held up high.

"Oh, and Blood?” the Sergeant added. Katherine topped, facing her superior. (Y/n) continued walking, thinking that whatever he'd what wouldn't concern her. But Blood stood there, the full attention if the room on her.

"(L/n) would have killed you if I wasn't here. Next time, try harder," he said, a bite to his words.

"Yes, sir, " she said. A lump formed in her throat as she turned to walk out. But she wouldn't show any weakness, not even watering eyes. It would only embarrass herself even further.

_ Next time, I will _ , she thought. And she walked down the hall to the training rooms, where she'd have to deal with always being second best.


	6. Chapter 5

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Peter…”

“...”

“Pete,”

“...”

“Peter?”

“Mmmm,”

“PETER! WAKE THE HELL UP!”

“Ahhh!”

Peter jolted awake, his brown eyes shooting open. His body went into complete alert mode. His arms flew out from their place under his pillow as his body twisted to its side. His hand connected with the ceiling, steadying himself.

“What?! What’s wrong?!” he exclaimed. Peter’s senses went into overdrive at the loud screaming voice, his mind connecting loudness with danger. His head snapping left and right, his enhanced sight scanning the room for something, that might be a source of danger as his hearing strained to listen for anything indicating a threat. But there was nothing. As his senses calmed down, he took in the familiar surroundings of his room, and May standing before his bunk, looking up at him with annoyed eyes.

“Cut the crap Peter,” Aunt May said, squaring her gaze on her nephew. “It’s me. Now get up, you’re going to be late for school,” she said, walking out of the room.

Peter watched through squinted eyes as she left his room, closing the door behind her so he could get changed for school.

“Ugh,” he groaned, falling back down onto his top bunk. The brown haired boy brought his hands up to his face, each hand rubbing the eye it covered. “It’s too early to start school…” he muttered stubbornly, his brain starting to shut down as he placed his head down on his pillow.

“I don’t care! Get dressed. Now,” Aunt May scolded through the door.

Peter groaned loudly at her, his tired eyes closing shut.

“But May-”

“Now,”

Peter rolled his eyes but listened to her none the less. Placing his hands firmly against his ceiling, almost as if to push the bords forward. But after a few seconds, his fingers began to feel as if they were merging with the material. Peter gave his hands a small tug, but they wouldn’t budge from their spot.  _ Perfect _ , he thought. Peter then swung his legs over the side railings of his bunk and scooted himself off of the bed, his hands still sticking to the ceiling. His body hung from it, his feet nearly half a foot from the floor. His head looked up at his hands and felt like they retracted from the ceiling, and he landed on his feet with a thump. He changed as quickly as he could, not wanting to upset May, and walked out of his room.

May watched as he emerged from the hallway and into the small area between the living room and kitchen, his eyes droopy from being woken up so abruptly.

“Good morning,” she said from her place behind the counter. She looked over at the toaster, where two pieces of toast played inside, the red hot metal casting a warm glow from it. Her coffee sat in front of her as she stood, watching the morning news on the TV in the living room.

“Morn’n,” Peter grumbled, his arms stretching above his head of messy chocolate curls. His arms lowered slowly, walking in the kitchen and right to the fridge.

“I have toast waiting for you in the toaster, Pete,” May told him, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Thanks, Aunt May,” he replied, opening the fridge door and reaching for a jug of orange juice. He twisted the lid open, lifting it up to his lips before tipping his head back and chugging it straight from the nozzle.

“You better not be drinking it straight from the container,” May snapped, causing Peter to nearly spit a mouthful back into the jug. Though May would be amused to see that, she was equally happy as she heard him calmly put it away back in the fridge.

“Me? Really? What do you take me for?” Peter joshed, his voice becoming playful as he and May heard the toaster softly ding.

“A teenager,” May quipped.

Peter opened his mouth, ready to reply with a comment that was sure to get him grounded for a good long while but was cut off as he heard the reporter on the TV.

_ “-But perhaps the most exciting news that’s flying around is the announcement of Anthony Stark and Virginia Potts engagement!” _

The words caught both of the two Parkers’ in their joking dispute, making them look towards the screen with all their attention.

_ “The happy news was first declared when Starked called a press conference, then proposed to Potts in front of the whole country, at the very least. They’re already planning an engagement party that is to be held two weeks from now, according to tweets that were posted after receiving an invitation,” _

May’s face twisted in disbelief.  _ Two weeks? It seems a little fast. We’ll need to shop this weekend in order to have a tux ready by then _ , she thought. “Well, I guess we’re heading to the mall this weekend,” she told Peter, who nodded his head in agreement. 

“Yeah. Ned will have to come along with us too. He’s going to be my plus one,” Peter told her.

“Ok. I’ll tell his Mom over the phone during my lunch break,” she said.

_ “Thanks, Christine. On a more serious note, strange sightings have been reported from advanced technology industries all over the world. Witnesses say that a being with tentacles broke into their labs, stealing parts and devices. All witnesses that are still alive say that they are incredibly dangerous, and won’t hesitate to kill. Three are in critical condition here in New York, while one is dead. No pictures or videos have been reported, but officials are cracking down on it. Now onto the weather-” _

May and Peter turned towards each other, eyes connecting with one another. The seriousness in the air crashed over them like a falling glacier. May looked into her nephew’s brown eyes, and he could see the fear in them.

_ Critical condition and dead… God, please don’t let him fight that _ , she pleaded to whoever was listening. She couldn’t let him fight… whatever it was!

… Could she?

It was his job to fight the bad guys and play a part in keeping the world safe. And she was proud of him for it, more than he could ever know. But he was practically her son. She helped raise him from the moment he was born. She cried, laughed, and grieved with him in everything. From his parent’s death at age four to her husband’s death two years ago. It was her job to protect him from things that could possibly kill him in more than one way. But it was his job to do just that… 

_ I’ll think about life-changing dilemmas later. Peter needs to go to school or else he’ll be late _ , she reminded herself. She shook those thoughts out of her head and shook her head for good measure. She cleared her throat, snapping Peter from their connected gaze. “Come one, get your backpack. You’ll be late, and you have a lot of days to make up for if you want to graduate on time,” she told him sternly

“Oh, yeah. On it,” he said as he began to run throughout the apartment while Aunt May put butter on his toast (which they totally didn’t forget about). In a matter of a few minutes, he was ready to go. He had all of his stuff, and Aunt May practically shoved half of the toast down his throat before he started eating his last piece by himself.

“Bye Aunt May! See you after school!” Peter exclaimed as he ran out the door.

“Bye,” Aunt May replied, waving her hand as she watched.

Peter raced through the city, avoiding people with a deadly accuracy only he could possess. The sun was just barely up, covering the sky in a neon looking orange that reminded him of the Star Wars X-Wing Pilot suit he wore for Halloween last year.

_ Wait, Halloween’s in two weeks! Shoot, I gotta tell May when I get home! _ , he thought as he was just barely able to get on his bus. Wait, I gotta ask Happy. I already looked stupid that one time Mr. Stark had a party and I wore a clown based jacket.  _ That can’t happen again _ , he thought bitterly.

He pulled out his phone from his back pocket, unlocking it and instantly tapping the Messages app and hitting Happy’s contact.

_ Hey, I noticed that the engagement party is on Halloween. R we supposed 2 dress up? _

He didn’t ever get a reply, so Peter chalked it up to Happy’s busy work schedule and continued on his way to school. It was always mornings like this that he was thankful to have a bus station placed directly outside the school’s sports fields. When he finally closed the doors of Midtown High, he was just barely on time for the first hour. 

Peter flew into his seat just as the bell rang, watching as students scurried from different parts of the room to do the same before the teacher entered the room. It was like a herd of zebras when they used their strips to confuse a predator. Colors blurred together in quick flashes, each person hoping to make it before they were caught. 

A mere second passed before the door briskly opened, a dark skinned woman with short black hair walked in. Her heels clicked on the tiled floor, which echoed throughout the room. Ms. Warren was a woman in her later years, though younger than most older teachers in high school. She was a good teacher, and Peter thought she was ok. But he never had the pleasure of getting to enjoy a basic conversation. She was always seen wearing, at the very least, a tea-length skirt that went to her shins. Students never went against her because of her strict attitude, but they didn’t hate her because of it.

“Well, I see that you are all here on time. That’s good. How was your weekend everyone?” she asked, a small and professional smile on her face. Some kids responded, mainly the ones that got along with her the best.

“Good,”

“Ok,”

“I’m tired,”

Ms. Warren shook her head, moving to stand behind her table that had neatly stacked piles of paper. “Good to know. But we do have a lot to get done today, so please get out your homework I assigned you to complete over the weekend. We’re going to go over it, and turn it in right after. Then, you all have two papers I want to be done by the end of the hour,” she said.

The class got right to work, pulling out papers. Pater’s ears heard the zipping of backpacks and the whispers of students as they complained about not being able to get their homework done. Peter being Peter, he got all of his homework done in fifteen minutes when he got home from his daily patrol before Ned stopped by.

“Now, question one,”

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Pepper paced around her and Tony's highest floor. Her heels had been thrown across the room in frustration as she looked over the news articles pulled up on the holograms.

She never thought she’d miss the days when things were easier. Sometimes it felt like yesterday Tony came flying in and they had begun to argue over her twelve percent of Stark Tower. She remembered how Tony had become, dare she say, jealous when Coulson called her by her first name. Oh, how she wanted to fight over her twelve percent rather than deal with the problem on her, and Tony’s, hands.

The strawberry blonde woman stopped her pacing and instead turned to face the holographic particles. They were all based on this new technology thief that’s been breaking into major labs. She felt lucky that Stark industries haven’t been targeted… yet. It was always a matter of time with things like this. And she’d prefer to have little funerals as possible.  _ I got a better idea. None would be good _ , she thought.

Her inner worrying was cut off by the elevator doors opening, and she turned her head to see her fiance walk in the room. 

“Finally! Where have you been!” Pepper exclaimed, walking towards Tony. She stopped in front of him, giving him a small hug before giving him a glare. “Well?!” she asked.

“Geeze, give me a few seconds Pots. I got stuck in traffic on the way here,” he explained to her, taking off his jacket and tossing onto the couch as he passed it. “So, what’s the problem?” he asked her.

“Have you watched the news?” Pepper asked him, leading him towards the articles.

“No, I just said I’ve been stuck in traffic. Why? What happened?” he asked her, a tinge of worry lining his face. And while he never would have admitted it, even to the love of his life, every part of him screamed for his apprentice to be ok.

“Look!” she told him.

Taking a step towards the holograms, he looked over their contents. Relief spread through him once he saw that it had nothing to do with Peter. Or, at least he hoped it wouldn’t. Dread filled him as he skimmed over the text, reading the companies that had been stolen from, and the varying descriptions. Not a single one was exactly the same, except for a single factor that made the perpetrator stand out… Their strange tentacles that came from their back.

“Oh boy,” he muttered. His hands rubbed his eyes, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. “I feel like I’m getting too old for this. Know what I mean?” he asked, turning to Pepper.

“I know. We’ll need to amp security and put some of our current projects on lockdown,” she said.

“Now just wait a moment, Pepper. Reports say she has tentacles. But she’s also stealing technology. So, chances are, their just a piece of technology strapped on their back and not some monster, or alien,” he said, bringing some reason to this conversation before any other explanation could be thrown out.

Pepper sighed, walking over to the couch before sitting on the edge of its backrest. She looked down at her shoeless feet, stress settling itself in her mind.

“I know, but we can’t let our technology fall into the wrong hands. Last time that happened you were trapped in a damn cave for months!” Pepper told him. 

The room was silent as she said this. Tony didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t wrong, but they could stop everything they were working on just because some thief was on the loose.

“Maybe… Maybe we should cancel the engagement party…” Pepper said in a small voice. Tony’s head snapped towards her. He rarely ever heard Pepper speak so quietly, and it wasn’t because she had a grand idea or realization. He didn’t know she was this worried over some wannabe alien.

Tony walked over to where she sat, his heart heavy as he saw her pensive expression. “What? But you were so excited! Hell, you were the one that came up with the party in the first place. You planned everything, from the date to the hidden theme,” he said, taking her hands in his.

“I know, but...” she tried to say, but her voice seemed to have flown away, leaving her behind.

“What’s wrong? Truly?” Tony asked, his eyes boring into hers.

Pepper huffed out a small bit of air in her lungs, turning her head to face Tony. “What if this is it for the rest of our lives? Sure, this engagement party is different, but what about the wedding? Are we going to have to worry about some monster destroying the world before actually saying our I do’s? And kids, we both agree we want kids. What am I going to do when we’re raising our child with all theses psychopaths trying to take over the world? I just… I don’t even know, " she addmitted., to Tony, as well as herself. "I want to marry you… I love you,” Pepper finished.

Tony gazed at her, unable to do anything else. He knew Pepper worried a lot, sometimes more than she should, but he could see the reason behind it. He always had a sneaking suspicion that this was how she truly felt, and he wished he could take all her fear and toss it out the window like a baseball. Sadly, he couldn’t. So, he did the next best thing a kissed her.

He pulled away, going to hug her tightly. He felt her stiffen in his arms, but only for a second before relaxing and slowly wrapping her own arms around her.

“Hey, I love you too. And believe me, I’m scared off everything you literally just listed off myself. But I don’t think we should put our lives on hold just because it happened. To be honest, I think we should just say, ‘fuck this shit, I’m done’, and do what we want because in all our years together, I think we deserve this, Pepper,” he told her. He pulled away from her when he was done, and they both felt the air chill them compared to the comfortable body heat.

Pepper’s heart lifted with every word he said, and she couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto her face.  _ This is one of those times where he actually says something smart that’s not related to science _ , she thought. “Thanks. And you’re right. Fuck this shit,” she said, a small laugh at the end of her words. Tony raised his eyebrows at her words that she used, pulling away to step back.

“See? Everything is always better my way,” he said, causing Pepper to scoff at his words.

“Oh  _ really _ ?” she asked rhetorically.

“Well, yeah. I  _ am  _ a genius,” he stated as if it was obvious. Which was the truth, no matter what Pepper wanted to believe in moments similar to this. He watched as Pepper rolled her eyes at him, a disbelieving grin on her lips.

“Don’t make me regret saying I wanted to marry you,” she jokingly warned him, standing up and placing both of her hands on her hips.

“Too late! Already ordered our Halloween costumes!”

_ Smartass _ , Pepper thought.

And neither of them knew of the mission that was being sent to one of HYDRA’s most deadly agents. Neither did they know that it would be a treacherous road ahead, and not only for them, but everyone in their life...


	7. Chapter 6

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


(Y/n) stood alone in one of the training rooms the base had to offer. Her hair was pulled out of her face, her simple workout clothes hugging her body. (Y/n) stood in the center, her body taking a defensive stance. Her feet were apart and her hands held themselves in front of her head as fists. Her breaking was slow and even as she turned in a circle, her ears and eyes sharp and alert.

The room was empty, both in people and equipment. The only type of equipment in the room was a nearly bare rack along the wall that held only a few handheld weapons. The walls were bare, with not even a red HYDRA emblem on the wall. Which said quite a bit in (y/n)’s opinion, since it seemed as if they loved to remind the agents just who they had signed off their lives to. A single lone light lit the room, revealing a large black mat in the center of the room. 

It struck like lightning, quick and without warning. Another fist flew at her, causing her instincts to dodge it by twisting her body to the right. As she watched the fist drawback, and she saw her opening. Her hand seized the stranger’s wrist, twisting it. She heard them grunt and lifting her foot, raising it to kick them in their side. She gasped as she felt her ankle being yanked, and she was sent tumbling to the cold mat and into the dark. 

At once the stranger topped her, and (y/n)’s hand flew out in front of her in hopes of landing a strike. She knew she had almost been successful when her knuckles just barely grazed their skin. A punch collided with the side of her face, forcing her head to the side. Before she could register anything, another punch as brought to her opposite side. (Y/n)’s heart flipped, snapping her out of whatever state she was in. It was as if hot adrenaline filled her veins. Time slowed down, and she could sense everything. Her eyes adjusted, and she saw a faint outline of a fist coming towards her face.

Her body kicked into action. Her hands gripped theirs in an instant and pulled her hands away from herself. Her opponent’s upper body came towards her. The second she so much as felt their breath on her forehead, she smashed her head upwards. Her head pulsed with pain as she felt it collide with their nose. She felt something drip onto her cheek, and she could only assume that it was blood. Their head jolted back, and she used that moment to push them off of her.

She stood up and her feet planted themselves firmly on the mat. Light flashed as a metal tube appeared in her hand. Its sleek metal shined in the light. A flat rectangular button was placed on its side. (Y/n)’s thumb pressed on it, and the ends of the tube extended out, forming a bo staff. She heard a rush of feet, alerting her that they were running in her direction. She choked up on the staff, her hands an even distance away from each other. 

They came from the darkness in a flash, a dark wooden staff flying through the air. (Y/n) blocked it, the smooth surfaces sliding against each other before being drawn back by their owners. The two staffs clashed in a flurry of attacks, the sound of wood against metal echoed within the room. Neither one seemed to let up.

_ Alright. I’m bored _ , (y/n) thought as she dodged another attack from her opponent. They only knew a total of four moves, based on what (y/n) observed, and they seemed to use them over and over again. They became predictable.

(Y/n) advanced forward, pushing herself out of the small circle of light and into the shadows, surprising the stranger. But she didn’t let up on her attacks. Instead, she made them faster, harder, and if she was in the light, she had no doubt that her staff would have been a blur, taking a step forward with every hit she caused. After a few seconds, she felt it connect with less wood and more skin until she finally had them backed up against the cold wall. And with a quick hit to the side of their head, they were down for the count.

“Finally,” she mumbled, taking a deep breath.

Suddenly, the rest of the lights flashed on in the room, causing (y/n) to use her hand to make sure her eyes didn’t burn into ash from the heavy light exposure. She hissed at it, causing a foreign voice to chuckle darkly.

(Y/n) opened her eyes and lowered her hands to see who had turned the lights on. Standing by the steel doors was a black skinned woman whose hair was pulled back in hundreds of tiny braids into a low bun. She knew this woman well. Ms. Elor was something of a wild card at the base and was one of the traveling agents that went from base to base and report back to the main headquarters. Her loyalty to HYDRA was like that of a crazed love-sick woman willing to kill for her lover. She had been known to kill the people who proved "not loyal" enough where they stood. (Y/n) took it upon herself to code name her “crazy-ass psycho” when she first met her a few years ago. Whenever she was there, they often sent her to do small things, like retrieve agents to the special authorization room.

She stared straight into her dark eyes, taking a deep breath before loudly exhaling. “I’m training,” (y/n) told her, turning back to pick up her unconscious opponent’s wooden bo staff that laid on the floor by their hand. “And as I recall, agents get a week in between missions. Do well to remember that,” she said. She walked over to the rack, placing the staff in its place.

The black haired woman shook her head. “We both know that in the end, they don’t care. And whatever you may believe, you’re not exempt from  _ all _ rules like you may think, child,” Ms. Elor stated, placing her hands behind her back.

Silence hung in the air, and Ms. Elor smirked in victory. She knew what the girl on the other side of the room could do, and she reveled in the sight of watching (y/n) holding back her punches, her powers. While she always loved a challenge, to test her limits, she also wasn’t stupid as shit. She has watched the girl defeat, hell, even  _ kill _ people ten times bigger than her at ten years old. She watched as she twisted a man’s arm back to far, it had to be amputated.  _ I’m gutsy and bloodthirsty, not arrogant. Besides, I ain’t got time for this chick _ , she thought.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” she asked smugly, earning a glare from (y/n). She laughed, throwing her head back a little bit. (Y/n) kept quiet, her eyes speaking all the words she wished to convey.

Elor turned around, opening the door and stepping into the hallway. “Well? Come on. You know they don’t like their agents being tardy,” she told (y/n).

(Y/n) magically changed into her black mission suit, her metal bo staff disappearing with her workout clothes, and ran to catch up with Ms. Elor.

“Mind telling me what my mission is?” (y/n) asked her as she walks by her side, but still behind her to lead the way. She already knew where they were going, but she had been taught that when dealing with people above you, it was customary to walk just behind their shoulder area. (Y/n) always guessed it was to show respect or something close to that.

Ms. Elor cracked a small smile, keeping her eyes forward on the path in front of her. “It will be the second greatest honor any HYDRA agent could possibly receive. One of which has a great difficulty that falls into your special… ability and skills,” she explained.

Her voice was full of glory and pride as if she was bestowing a great honor onto a knight of old. Her smile changed, her lips parting to show just the slightest bit of teeth. At a quick glance, it would have seemed more like breathless, but there was a hidden feeling behind it that could be detected with skillful observation. It was a smile of admiration. Not at the girl behind her, but at the mission itself. Like the great Red Skull had returned and bestowed the mission upon HYDRA himself.

“I’m not going to lie, it might take a while and could be difficult, but it will be well worth it,” she said in awe.

“That’s… great and all, but what is it?”

“Why… it’s an  _ assassination _ , child,”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Tony woke up in a cold sweat, the moonlight shining off of his damp skin. His body jerked up, making him sit up at a ninety-degree angle. His hair, like his skin, was damp and stuck to his forehead. His breathing was ragged like it was trying to claw its way back into his lungs.

_ What the hell was that? _ , he thought, raking his hands through his sodden locks. He was barely able to register as his fiance stirring into wakefulness.

Pepper rolled over, resting her body on her elbow. She rubbed her eyes as they began to focus in the dark. “Mmm… Tony?” she mumbled tiredly, her mind groggy from the sudden break from sleep. Her eyes looked at him, her brain taking a few seconds to take in his appearance. But the second she did, her body went into a fretful state.

“Tony, what’s wrong?” she asked, sitting up to face him at his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump as if he forgot he was even in his own bed. She watched his head snap towards her, and she noted his breathing had slowed down.

“Pep,” Tony breathed as if it was a desperate prayer.

“Shh, I’m here… I’m here,” she assured him, raising another hand to rest on his cheek to ease him down. “Was it a nightmare?” she asked, her eyes boring into his.

Her mind drifted back to when they had first started dating, and he’d wake up in a cold sweat, just like this. Most of them would be about his time being held in the cave and building his artificial heart. But he hadn’t had a nightmare since before the New York Attack. That one had been really bad. Tony even claimed to have seen a great war over time and space, and his own death. Peper had told him that everything was ok, and had calmed him down…

But that was practically a lifetime ago. Why would he be having them now? There was nothing to trigger them.

Pepper’s apprehension only grew when he didn’t answer her.

“Tony,” Pepper said as calmly as she could. She relaxed when he looked at her. His breathing started to slow down as he looked at her face, and he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“Sorry. Umm… Yeah, it was a nightmare,” he told her. His voice was still shaky, but it was stable enough to where he could speak well enough without having to draw an extra breath. Any pause he used was to gather his thoughts together.

“What was it about?” Peper asked, moving a hand so that it rubbed his back soothingly.

“I don’t know- No… I don’t remember,” he said, correcting himself. He always had a feelin of what his dreams were, whether it be bad or good. But it was hard to remember any concrete details of them.

Pepper nodded her head. “Oh…” she mumbled.

Guilt seized Tony’s heart as he heard her say it. To him, it seemed that now he had woke them up at o’dark thirty for nothing. And with both of them working long hours, it was as precious as coffee… which they would both need more of than usual by the time they would have to get up.

“I’m sorry, that sounded… Not how I wanted it to sound,” Pepper said awkwardly, her head lower as she said each word.

“No, I got it,” the raven haired man told her.

“I’m glad,”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“You realize we have to get up in, like, forty-five minutes, right?”

“Aww shit!”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Peter looked through the costumes hanging on the racks, his brown eyes searching for anything that caught his eye. Ned and his Aunt May weren’t far behind, each looking for their own costume to wear to the engagement party. Ever since Happy had given them the ‘ok’ on Peter’s theme theory, he spent all week thinking about what he had wanted to be. Ned suggested that they be salt and pepper, so there was that. But as… "tempting" as it was, Peter didn't like the idea for some reason.

“Hey, what about a knight?” Ned asked Peter, pulling out a costume packet.

Peter’s head turned toward his friend, eyes scanning over the costume. “Mmm… What about the Star Wars stuff?” he suggested.

“Nah. Did that last year. Hey, are we going to be matching?” Ned asked.

“That would be so cute! I’ll have to get pictures if you guys do that!” Aunt May exclaimed over her shoulder as she looked at facepaint before walking over to another section of the store.

They weren’t that worried since the store was small. The mall had been ruled out, so they just went over to the small costume store that was only open in the fall months. But it was closer to the downtown area, so Ned wouldn’t have any trouble getting home after shopping.

“Know what, I’m feeling pretty independent this year,” Ned told Peter, scrunching his face and continued looking. Peter copied his friend’s expression and walked over to join him at his side.

“Yeah, me neither,” Peter replied.

“But Peter, who do you want to be?” Ned asked him.

“I don’t know man, but I’m looking,” Peter told him. Ned nodded, the two of them walked around the store. 

“What for?”

“Wha- I don’t know,”

“Well, we got about three hours left to figure it out,”

“Yeah, yeah,” Peter said as they passed a display case.

His eyes half-heartedly scanned the items in the case, hands in the pockets of his jacket. The case held mostly fake weapons, gaudy costume jewelry, and masquerade masks. Eventually, he walked by the normal stuff and reached a patch of costumes that made him smile. The Avengers costumes. He passed by Thor’s hammer, Clint’s bow, Natasha’s suit and guns, he even saw Steve’s shield.

_ Oh god, Tony would disown me if showed up even wearing a Captain American pin, much less a full-on costume _ , he thought as he looked over the package. Peter grabbed it off of the rack and holding it out in front of him. “Hey, Ned! What about this?” he asked, a joking tone in his voice.

Ned looked over, a small smile breaking onto his face. “That’s a great idea… if you’re aiming to get kicked out,” he told his friend.

“I know, but I’d still want to see how it would turn out. I mean, sure, Mr. Stark would probably never want anything to do with me, but still” Peter said. He turned around, placing back where he found it.

As he walked away, a gleaming blue light caught his eyes. But as soon as he turned to look at it, it was gone… Then he saw it… then it was gone. The light continued to blink on and off, allowing Peter to easily find his way back over to a display case.

His eyes immediately stuck to a big blue glowing necklace that sat in the display case next to a pair of disregarded sunglasses.

It was like the universe was speaking to him.

“That’s it. I found it. I’m gonna be Mr. Stark this year,”

“Hmm? Did you say something honey?”

“Ahh!”

Peter jumped at the sudden voice, pulling a small chuckle from his Aunt May. “Calm down, it’s just me,” she told him. “So… You want them?” she asked.

“What?” Peter asked, giver her a blank expression.

“Peter, you just talked to yourself. You had some sort of “epiphany”, or something,” she said.

“Oh! Yes. I would like the necklace and sunglasses,” he told her, tapping his finger against the cases scratched glass surface.

“Ok, I’ll add them to the list. I figured I could wear a nice dress and mask and call it good,” she said, smiling at her nephew and walking off.

In the back of the store, Ned looked through the costume packages, finally finding something he liked. He smiled as he nodded his head to himself, taking off to go find Peter and May.

“Hey, Pete!” Ned called, walk up to the two of them. “Whatcha think?” he asked, tossing it to Peter. The brown haired boy caught it with ease, reading the label.

“Who the hell-”

“PETER BENJAMIN PARKER!”

“Sorry Aunt May! Who the heck is Batman?” Peter asked, a look of fear in his eyes as May stared him down behind him. Both of the teen boys swallowed the lumps in their throats. Sometimes they forget that it was always the nicest, calmest, and most level headed people who were most scary when they got angry or lost their shit.

“He’s this comic book character. It’s a pretty dark but compelling series. I’ll have to send you some of my copies. I really think you might like him,” Ned said, taking it back and handing it over to May, who still had a terrifyingly stern look on her face.

They watched as May pulled out her wallet as the cashier started to scan the items that they were buying. They were just about done when Peter’s phone rang. The light-hearted tune and vibrations urged him to pull it out, instantly hitting the answer button.

“Heeello, this is Peter. How have I currently ruined your life?” he casually asked the caller, gaining a weird look from Aunt May, and a smug smile from Ned.

_ Of course he’s smug, it was his idea _ , he thought.

“I don’t have time for your pop culture references right now, kid,”

_ A horrible idea. Damnit, Ned _ , he thought as his mind registered the voice that came from the other line.

“M-Mr. Stark?!”

“Great! You have a memory! Listen, I need your help,”

“What happened?”

“I don’t want to call you, but there are lives on the line,”

“What is it?”

“I need you to head over to the Stark Labs set just outside of Queens,”

“Is it that person that’s been on the news?”

“Sadly, yes. Listen to me Peter, whatever you do, don’t fight them directly until I get there,”

  
  


“B-”

“Don’t! Engage!”

“... Alright. I’m on my way Mr. Stark. I won’t let you down,”

“I know you won’t. Save the workers, and wait for me. Be safe, I don’t want to have extra paperwork,”

Peter lowered the phone, shoving it in his pocket as he headed towards the door.

Ned and May glanced at each other, wanting to see if the other would know what was happening.

“Um, Peter?” May called, causing her nephew to turn around. But he didn’t stop, instead choosing to walk backward.

“I gotta go. Stark needs me,” he told them. 

He watched as her head dropped, lifting it to give him her nod of approval. Peter smiled at her, turning back around to continue out the door.

“Be home by nine, it’s a school night!” she said, her voice growing louder and faster the farther Peter got away from her. Eventually, she heard the tingling of the doorbell, and she turned back to the cashier.

“So… Ned, sweetie, did you bring money, or do you need me to pay for you?”

“I thought you were paying regardless…”

“Ok then,” she said, opening her wallet to give the cashier the total.


	8. Chapter 7

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


And just like that, Peter was practically flying through the air, swinging from building to building, his suit fitting to his body perfectly as he did. He was running a minute or two behind since he had to stop at his apartment since he forgot to have his suit on his person, but he was making up for lost time. Every few seconds, he’d hear the clear voice of Karen, his AI system, giving him directions to the fastest route to Stark labs.

“Take a left at the next turn Peter,”

“Thanks, Karen!”

“You are welcome Peter,”

His arms instinctively lifted and aimed at a building on his left, pulling himself forward as his body automatically twisted and turned to balance himself out in the air. It was amazing to Peter just how quickly his body had learned how to swing through the air. He remembered when he first started out, he’d constantly crash into buildings, windows, and a train on one occasion. And now, he was swinging through the air as if he’d been doing this his whole life. He wondered if this was how Tony felt when he flew in his suit.

“Peter, you are about to miss a critical shortcut in reaching the Stark Laboratories within your desired time,” Karen told him.

“Shit! Where?!” he asked, his eyes widening. His head turned in every which way, looking for any sign through his masks visuals.

“On your right,” Karen told him.

After taking the turn, Peter was amazed when he arrived at the lab in no less than about five minutes tops. Before he knew it, Peter was sitting on top of the roof, looking around for anything that could get him inside undetected. His first guess was an air vent, but he didn’t find anything. So, desperate to find a way inside the building, he crawled along the sides of the building. For a while, he didn’t find anything other than small vents that were barely big enough to hold a large rat inside it. But then, as if Thor himself were watching over him (which he wasn’t, but Peter liked to joke about it with Ned sometimes), he found a row of windows that were level with the high ceiling. “Finally,” he whispered to himself. Peter approached the windows, taking a look inside the dimly lit lab.

The room looked nearly identical to how he’d expect a Stark lab to look like. It was a giant and spacious room, big enough to hold a commercial traveling airplane. Tables were placed in straight lines, loads of expensive gears and gadgets on top of them. Large, high-tech equipment was placed throughout the room, each having the Stark logo stamped on them. In the far offside of the room was a separate lab that was walled off from the rest of the room. Its windows and glass door appeared to be cracked, but he couldn’t see clearly from where he was at the moment.

“Alright, time to go in,” he told himself. He leaned back from the window, taking in the actual size of the window. He’d just barely fit through, but shouldn’t have a problem any the less. He lifted his hand and placed his palm against the cool glass, pushing against it. It smoothly slid open, allowing Peter to squeeze through the window.

He crawled along the wall of the lab, his eyes searching for anything that could set off an alarm. When he didn’t see anything, scanning the room just to be safe, he flipped off the wall and onto the floor. His landing was soundless, as was his steps as he began to walk around the room, crouching down low in case he had to make an emergency duck.

But now that he was actually inside, he couldn’t help but internally fangirl about the fact that he was inside one of Mr. Stark’s very own labs. Sure, it was just broken into, and it was dark… and cold… with a bat-shit crazy and high teched murdering thief on the premises… But it was still cool, nonetheless.

Peter walked towards the rows of lab tables, looking in between the empty space in between them. For a second, it looked like no one was in the room, and then he heard a cough. It was quiet and had a weak and raspy tone to it. His whole body snapped toward the sound, looking for anything that could cause it. He lowered himself, resting his weight on his toes and hands as he moved towards the area where he heard the cough. He hid behind one of the tables at the very end of the rows and peaked his head out from the corner.

A man laid on the floor, his white lab coat stained slightly red on his side. He made no attempt to move except for when he breathed. Peter watched as he took in a shallow, shaky breath, the man’s stomach barely rising before it came back down, as if a small breath alone was too much for him to handle.

Peter rushed to the man’s side, forgetting all about staying hidden, focusing all his concern on the man in front of him. “Sir? Sir, can you hear me?” Peter said, keeping his voice low in case the thief was around somewhere in the room. The man coughed harshly, opening his eyes. His face changed to one of confusion, and then it settled on the red suited man above him.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Spider-Man. I… saw something sneak into the lab and though it might be that thief that’s been on the news lately,” Peter told him. “Sir, are you alright?” he asked him.

“I have checked his vitals, and he appears to have a puncture wound on his left side that needs to be addressed,” Karen told Peter.

“Ok, thanks. Sir, I’m going to help you get out of here,” Peter said, taking the man and wrapping an arm around his shoulder on the uninjured side of his body.

“There’s a first aid kit by the door,” the man rasped.

Peter nodded as he helped him make his way to the door, where, sure enough, a first aid kit hung a little ways away from the handprint scanner that was right next to the door. He carefully set the man back down, propping him up against the wall. He dug through the kit, placing everything he needed next to him in record time, and found himself thanking his seventh-grade health teacher for teaching the whole class a unit on how to use everything in a first aid kit. That didn’t mean he was a nurse, but it was enough to know what to do when situations like this happened.

Peter patched the man up with no problem, telling him to be careful. Just as he was done, there was a loud crash that echoed throughout the whole room.

“ _ It’s them _ ,” the man said.

“Where?” Peter asked.

“I saw them walk over to the secured labs, he whispered. “It’s where the more dangerous stuff is. Listen to me, it’s bad news if they get their hands on it,” he rasped, holding his hand up to his mouth to cover his cough.

“Are you going to be ok by yourself?” Peter asked.

“What am I, old? I’m going to call the police. Just go dammnit,” he grumbled.

Peter sighed, standing up to cautiously tread closer and closer to the separate lab. He came to the door, the glass that acted as the barrier shattered on the floor. He stepped around it, not wanting to risk injury.

The lab was a mess, no doubt from the thief that was lurking in the shadows. Papers were thrown everywhere, drawers empty as they lay on the floor, and various equipment was broken or disregarded in random places. As he walked further, he noticed that all the cases were open, the little gates ripped off by force. But there was nothing in it. Suddenly, Peter heard the sound of something breaking in a far off room down a narrow hallway. 

_ Remember, Mr. Stark said not to fight until he gets here _ , he thought. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Peter softly walked down the hallway, creeping up to the doorway and peaking inside, and his breathing came to a halt and his eyes widened.

There, standing in the middle of the room, was a figure standing in front of a table, papers strewn all across the surface as she held a flat circular device in their hand. They seemed to be looking over the notes, taking what they deemed useful and stuffing it into a bag that sat by their feet. They had a lean body, just barely taller than the average person with little muscle build. Their body was covered in a dark green suit, black boots, and black gloves that covered their whole hand. Over her suit, she wore a beat-up aviator jacket with cream colored fur around the neck area. Their head was covered by a mask that clung to their skin like Peter’s, with a metal pair of green lensed goggles surrounded their head. But it was what was on their back that drew the most attention. A metal vest rest over their aviator jacket, with four long, shining, metal tentacles flexing and calmly moving about around her. A sickly green glowed from between the metal plating, casting its green light in the room. And at the tips were a sort of four-pronged hand of sorts that acted more like a mouth, opening and snapping shut.

“Come on, where is it...” a robotic voice muttered. There was a feminine hint to it.

Peter backed himself against the wall, listening as papers rustled around. He was at a loss. One half of him wanted to walk in there with a smart ass quip like he usually did, and have a showdown to try and impress Mr. Stark but the time he got here. The other half told him to stay where he was and listen to Mr. Stark’s orders. While Stark was a bit overprotective at times, which warmed Peter’s heart at times, it was always with good reason. The billionaire genius always knew exactly what he was or wasn’t ready for. This is the part that won, and Peter turned to go back to the man that was laying on the floor in the other room. But then, he noticed that the sound of rustling papers disappeared.

_ Oh,  _ fuck _ , no _ , he thought, fear creeping its way into his stomach.

“Spider-Man. I’m surprised to see you here,”

Peter’s whole body twisted around to face her, as she did him. His stomach felt as if was about to lose whatever it held in moments. But he shook that away, instead, going back to his usual cocky self. It was one of the tips that Mr. Stark had shared with him. It was better to appear confident that scared, in almost every aspect of life.

“Well, it’s always nice to meet a fan,” Peter told her, straightening his poster.

“Well, I can’t exactly say I’m a fan,” she snapped, one of her metal limbs raising into a strike position.

“O-oh, sorry to hear that,” he said nervously despite himself. “Well, I hate to end the conversation short, but I really don’t think you should be-AHHHH!”

Before Peter had a chance to finish his sentence, his foot was pulled forward causing his back to slam onto the cold hard ground, making it feel as if it had shattered on impact. Then, he was thrown into the wall, creating a large hole before he was let go, falling to the ground with a loud thump. Peter groaned as he slowly started to get up.

The green suited criminal walked closer, her metal tentacles clamping around Peter’s torso and slamming him into the wall so that he was goggle level with her. He could feel the disdain in their gaze as the grip got tighter, forcing the air out of him painfully.

“Hold on! Maybe we can talk about this!” he exclaimed, holding his hands out at his sides.

“You ruined my life! Now, it’s my turn!” she yelled, her robotic voice breaking apart for a few seconds. One of the robotic tentacles raised threateningly, opening and closing repeatedly.

Peter’s hands flew out in front of him, webbing shooting from his wrists and sticking itself all over the thief’s goggles. She recoiled away from him in shock, dropping him in the process as she screamed. Her hands went to her face, and Peter took the opportunity to web her hands as well. The woman tried in vain to pull her hands apart as she looked through her goggles, only to barely see where she was going.

“Tell me, what do you need this stuff for?” Peter asked her.

She didn’t answer him, lunging forward and fully using her metal tentacles as any means of action.

“Shit!” Peter shrieked as she was barely able to dodge them. Taking his chance, he ran down the narrow hall and out into the main lab room. He heard various bumps and crashes behind him until she burst through the windows, glass flying everywhere in a ten-foot radius of her.

“I’m going to kill you!”

“Is there any chance I can convince you to reconsider?!”

Her tentacles shot towards him like a bullet. Peter’s eyes widened as he looked for something that could help him in the last second and a half before he was shishkabobed.

Just as the tentacle was going to stab him, the woman was blasted back by a blinding light. She flew away from him, crashing into the broken window behind her.

“I thought I told you to not fight until I got here!”

Shock and excitement overtook Peter as he turned around to see the one and only Tony Stark. Or, at least he hoped it was. Sometimes he was inside the suit, sometimes he wasn’t.

“Mr. Stark! I’m glad you’re here!” Peter shouted.

“Save it for when we’re done mister fight club,” Tony snapped as he landed next to Peter, his mask lifting to reveal his stern and angry face.

“I didn’t start it, she did!” Peter said, pointing towards the crazed woman that was climbing her way out of the room she was thrown back into.

Tony’s mask closed, the eyes of it glowed a light blue. “Are you kidding me? I just redid this room! This is why I can’t have nice things,” he quipped, throwing his arms out dramatically.

“I thought you didn’t like pop culture references?” Peter asked.

“Mmm? Oh no, it’s just when someone else does it. I just make it cool and work well,” Tony told him.

“I didn’t think you’d show up,” the woman spoke, her metal limbs smoothly thrashed, seeming to express their master’s anger for her.

“Hey, listen here Doc Oc, we don’t build stuff for people to steal! Go home and save enough to buy what you want instead,” Tony told her.

“And if I don’t?” she asked.

Tony raised his hand blasters as they came to life, their bright light warning the women that he wasn’t playing around, that he meant business. Peter glanced at him, taking his lead and raising his web shooters to aim at her. The woman scoffed at him, shaking her head as if she found the action amusing.

“The only reason you can build what I need in the first place is because you get paid to clean up your own mess, while the rest of us scavenge for pieces,” she told him as she walked along the walls, Tony and Peter’s weapons following her every step. She stumbled a few times due to the web covering her goggles, but her tentacles were always there to help her. “And  _ you _ ,” she growled as she pointed at Peter. “ _ You _ are the reason I’m like this, and I’m not going to stop until there’s justice,” she said, leaning back on a wall a few feet away from a giant machine.

“Hey!” Tony screamed, his blasters growing brighter with each passing second. “He did nothing wrong! Hate to break it to ya, but pinning the blame on someone else is pretty pathetic, don’t you think?” Tony told her.

“Not when it’s the truth. Because sometimes, it really is someone else’s fault a person turned out the way they did,” the woman said. “Something they had no control of…” she added, her goggles facing Peter straight on.

Peter swallowed the spit in his mouth as he tried his best to glare at her as intimidatingly as he could. _ How does Mr. Stark do this so well all the time _ , he wondered.

“Yeah, well, it’s going to be your fault when we throw you in jail, because you did just break into my labs, and I’m really mad if you can’t tell,” Tony said.

“Yeah, as fun as that sounds...” she said, the mouth of a tentacle closing to make a cone shape as it pointed towards the machine. “I have a previous arrangement to go to,” she told them.

Tony looked at the tentacles, then the machine and his eyes widened.

“Kid, get down!” he shouted, pulling Peter away from the masked woman, and down onto the ground.

The next thing either of them knew, the lab was filled with fire and smoke as alarms blazed on and off, water spraying everywhere from the ceiling. A high pitched sound ringed loudly in their ears.

Peter’s muscles stung as he lifted himself off of the ground to stand up, his back feeling as though it was older than the rest of his body.

_ I guess those wall breaking moments are finally setting in _ , he thought.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter called.

“Ohhh… Still alive,” the billionaire sounded off as he rolled over on the ground so that he faced upward.

“Friday, care to report?”

“It seemed as though the thief has gotten away by causing an explosion and creating a rather large hole in the wall,”

“Oh, great,”

Peter sat down next to him as the water slid down his suit, silently thanking Mr. Stark for making his suit somewhat water resistant. “They got away…” he said.

“Nooooo, really? I didn’t notice,” Tony said in a dramatically sarcastic voice, his mask lifting so he could glare dangerously at the boy sitting next to him.

Silence stood between them as the alarms continued to blare, soon accompanied by police sirens that finally arrived on the scene.

“Do you think Doc Oc, will be back?” Peter asked, using Tony’s nickname to try and lighten the mood.

Tony chuckled at this, too tired and angry to care about everything going on. He normally would have been bothered at Peter mocking his quickly thought up name, but he decided to let it go for now.  _ I mean, it’s not like it’s going to catch on _ , he thought.

“Knowing our luck kid, they’ll be back a lot sooner than we would want,” Tony told him.


	9. Chapter 8

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Tony walked around the large room as waiters and waitresses walked around the room, adding last-minute touches to the decor to the large and spacious venue he had rented. All the exterior walls were made of windows that overlooked the busy streets of New York City below them. A medium-sized stage was set up so that the lights of the building with a dance floor placed in front of it. Beyond that, tables were strategically placed, so that everyone had a place to sit while still having room to put out their chairs, with a bar area next to it against the wall. The food was placed along the wall, out of the way of all the hustle and bustle that was going to come. Balloons, streamers, and cloth banners highlighted the venue. The room was decorated in light hues of white, purple, and orange, adding a festive feel to the large room.

“Hey, we’re missing a dish on the dessert table!” Tony exclaimed as he looked over the catering. A waitress nodded her head, rushing over to her boss to fulfill Tony’s demand.

“Out of all the things to be serious about, you’re serious about parties?”

The raven haired man turned around to face Pepper, who had a smirk on her face as she looked at him. Tony dramatically gasped, his hand slapping his hand over his heart as his mouth dropped open.

“A party?” he asked, looking at her with a “serious” gaze. “Pepper, the stars to my moon, the bullet to my gun, THE YEE TO MY HAW,” he said, gaining the attention of a few waiters.

“Oh my god,” Pepper muttered to herself, avoiding eye contact with the man she was doomed to spend the rest of her life with.

“Pep, one does not simply call this a party. This is a celebration,” Tony told her.

“What’s the difference?” she asked.

Tony looked at her, allowing her to see the gears in his head clicking and turning. His hands lowered and shoved themselves in his pockets, and his eyebrows knitted together as he pondered his wording.

“Well… A party is more of a fun get together. An excuse to see people or get drunk, at least from my experience. This, however, is a celebration. There is an important, concrete reason for an event. And we are celebrating our future marriage, and is not, to me, a simple party,” Tony told her.

It was always moment like this that seemed to slap Pepper across the face, reminding her that Tony actually could have a maturity level suiting his age. One minute he was saying how she was the yee to his haw, and telling her a wise speech about what a celebration really was the next.

“Well said, Tony. Now, let’s go get dressed into our Bonnie and Clyde costumes. People will start arriving here pretty soon,” she said.

And she wasn’t lying. It seemed that as soon as they came back from changing into their costumes, guests started walking in one after the other. So far, none of them were dressed up in a costume, except for an old man in sunglasses who wore an astronaut suit, calling him “Tony Stank” before walking off to the food table.

“Who invited him?” Tony whispered in Pepper’s ear, his thought out smile hiding his confusion and curiosity.

“I have no idea, I just assumed he was on your side of the family,” she whispered back.

Time went on, and more guests filed in. A few wore costumes, mostly couples dressed matching sets from various books and movies that Tony had to pretend to know and enjoy. Finally, after a mere two hours of walking and making sure people were enjoying themselves, Tony nearly cried tears of joy at the sight of Happy strolling through the doors. He was quick to excuse himself, allowing him to talk to Happy over by the glass wall.

“Oh my god, don’t leave me again,” Tony told his friend.

“I wish I could Tony, wish I could,” Happy said.

Happy was wearing his usual suit, much to Tony’s disappointment. But to match the theme, Happy had an orange dress shirt with a purple tie, a small pumpkin pin stood out from his black jacket on his breath pocket. Seeing he at least made an effort, Tony decided not to comment on it, seemingly allowing it.

“I’m almost ready to crack open a bottle,” Tony said, leaning against the metal pillar of the wall he stood next to.

“No. You can’t get drunk. A) it’s too early, at the very least wait until after sundown. B) The kid and his friend are coming. And no matter how much you don’t admit it, you don’t want Peter to see his role model plastered-”

“I’m his role model?”

“ _ Who else would it be _ ?”

Sometimes, Happy found himself unable to NOT roll his eyes at Tony. Like how Tony didn’t realize that Peter looked at him the same way a six year old girl looks at a fucking unicorn on her birthday dressed in a princess costume. And sometimes, Happy just wanted to smack his friend over his head. This was one of those times for both cases.

“And C)... I won’t be there to drag your drunk ass to the car, and Pepper won’t have it. Hell, she’s the only one with the guts to actually leave you here,” Happy explained, folding his arms across his chest.

Tony pursed his lips, looking away, knowing Happy was right. And Tony would never admit it, he wasn’t even sure Pepper knew, but he was never the best at holding his liquor. It’s part of the reason he used to be such a party animal.

“Fine. Speaking of Pepper, did you see her when you walked in? She went to talk to some friends of hers and I haven’t seen her since,” Tony told Happy, craning his neck to look over Happy’s shoulder, his brown eyes scanning the room for his lady love.

“Yeah, she’s over there,” Happy said, pointing off towards the tables. The strawberry-blonde haired woman let out a joyous laugh, throwing her head back as she talked to two other woman at a table. Tony smiled and nodded, turning away from Happy to look at the guests that continued to arrive.

“As much as I would love to continue this conversation, I have more guests to greet and talk to,” Tony told Happy.

“Alright. See ya later,” Happy said.

“Yeah, you too,” Tony replied.

And with those parting words, the two men parted ways to enjoy the party. As Happy hung out near the food bar, Tony razzle dazzled the guests, graciously receiving compliments on the decor and even more congratulations of his and Pepper’s engagement. After a while, he and Pepper met up at the bar, the mixologist making their favorite drinks(with a free hand, much to Tony’s pleasure). Time went by, and soon it was nearly seven-thirty when the happy couple saw the most awaited guests of their night.

“Hi, Mr. Stark! The party looks really nice,” Peter praised as he walked in, a bright smile on his face.

“Yeah! This place looks awesome!” Ned said next to him, his head following his eyes as it turned to fully get a good look at the room. Aunt May walked up to them, her heels clicking softly against the floor.

Peter was sharply dressed in black pants, vest, and shoes, with a white dress shirt. The shirt had a single undid button that allowed the pair of sunglasses he had bought from the store to hang. Ned and May were right next to him, each wearing their costumes. May wore a shoulderless tea-length silver dress with jewelry and heels to match. Her Mask white crystalized mask shine and glistened in the warm light of the room when she made even the slightest movement, her clutch purse matching it. And finally, Ned. The dark haired boy was dressed in a black suit with a black cape, army boots, and a bat-themed mask. On his chest was a black and yellow bat emblem. Around his waist was a yellow utility belt with small bags that held his phone and cash.

“Thanks, I’m glad that you all could make it in the right dress code,” Tony said, causing them to chuckle.

“Yeah. I really thought more people would’ve dressed up,” May said, looked around at the clothes that people wore. “Well, except for that one astronaut. He looks familiar though,” May stated, her brown eyes following the elder movement as he walked through the room. _ I could’ve sworn I’d seen him from somewhere… Wait, is he the mailman? _ , she wondered.

Peter’s eyes followed her line of sight, his eyes widening once he looked at the astronaut’s face. As Peter looked at him, the elder’s voice rang in his ears, an echo of a distant memory…

_ “Don’t make me come down there you punk!” _

Peter nervously laughed it off, taking his sunglasses from his shirt and hold it in his hand as he swung them behind him before clapping them in front of him.

“Oh, I don’t think we know him, Aunt May…”

“Are you sure? I could’ve sworn-”

“Mr. Stark! Want to see my costume?”

Tony’s attention shifted to the excited teen in front of him, nodding his head. Peter smiled at his confirmation, his hands fumbling to unfold the sunglasses as he babbled on about how the three of them had gone shopping before Tony and he fought Doc Oc together. It took a few seconds with Peter explaining his quick story with the verbal speed of an auctioneer at a farmer’s market, placing the sunglasses over his eyes.

“-But anyhoo, I finally managed to create... this!”

Pressing his hand against his chest, Tony’s eyes softened as he watched a glowing blue circle appear under Peter’s shirt, the costume amulet blinking in a fading manner. And it clicked. Looking at the fancy clothes, sunglasses, and the blue light.

_ My god, he dressed up as his favorite superhero _ , he thought, feeling his heart fold upon itself.

“What do you think? I think I look pretty good,” Peter added.

Pepper gasped, grabbing Tony’s shoulder and shaking him, a wide smile on her face, and her eyes shining with amusement.

“Oh my god! You look just like Tony did when he was younger!” she exclaimed passionately.

“What?!”

“Really!”

He breathlessly laughed, a fake laugh resounding from him.

“Haha, ha- No. No, he doesn’t. I mean look at him,” Tony sputtered out, going next to stand next to Peter in a desperate attempt to prove his fiance wrong. But standing next to Peter as he was dressed up in a vest and sunglasses, smiling exactly like each other… 

He was failing miserably.

And now, May and Ned joined Pepper’s side, their own smiles accompanying her own.

“This is cute!” May cried, her hand covering her heart.

“Cute?”

Tony and Peter turned towards each other, surprised when their voices synced perfectly, not healing Tony’s dilemma.

Ned smirk at his friend. “Yeah, cute,” he said in a snarky tone.

“Watch it, man-in-the-chair,” Peter warned, glaring at Ned from behind hid sunglasses.

“Ned, join Peter! I want a picture,” May insisted, ushering over the black clad teen next to her nephew. She dug threw her clutch purse, pulling out her phone a second later.

“Say cheese!” she exclaimed, a smile on her face. Tony, Peter, and Ned all smiled for her and even wrapped their arms around each other. A flash of light came and went, and she looked down at her phone and a small smile spread onto her face.

“Can I see?” Pepper asked.

“Oh, of course! I love your costume by the way. I can see you as a bonnie character when push comes to shove” May replied.

“Thanks, no one has been able to guess it yet,” Pepper said. May tapped on the picture she took before handing her phone to Pepper. The strawberry-blonde woman grinned, looking up at Tony before turning back to May and handing her phone.

“I like this picture. You’ll have to send it to me,” she told her.

“Awesome, I will,” May said.

“Alright, you boys go have fun. There’s a buffet of food, pop is over by the bar- No ordering anything you shouldn’t-, and a dance floor over there. Knock yourselves out,” Tony said, ruffling Peter’s chocolate locks.

“Alright. Come on!” Peter called, Ned following him as they both headed towards the food tables.

“Man, everything smells so good,” Ned told his friend.

Both of their eyes glazing over as their noses caught a whiff of all the delicious foods that laid before them. They drooled as the small of perfectly cooked meat and fish dissipated through the air. Off on another table was warm bread and pasta, the sight of spaghetti and garlic breath temping. But it was the dessert table that made their stomachs growl. The mere thought of eating a single bite off all the fluffy cakes, and chilling ice-cream it had to offer.

“Which one do we start with?”

“Why start with just one?”

“All?”

“All,”

“All sounds good,”

  
  


Peter and Ned wasted no time on grabbing plates. They piled food on high, determined to try at least a little bit of everything. After grabbing everything they wanted, along with silverware, they found a table to sit down at where they wouldn’t be bothered. 

“I’ll go get pop from the bar. What do you want?” Peter asked Ned.

“I’ll take a Pepsi,” Ned told him.

“Alright. Keep watch and don’t take any of my food!” Peter scolded as he walked away, seeing Ned eye his plate out of the corner of his eye.

_ I swear Ned, I will web you to the side of a building _ , he thought to himself.

The bar was busy, with adults sitting in the chairs and standing around the counter as the mixologist made drinks with preside speed and accuracy. Peter watched as he handed a swaying woman a drink, who clumsily walked off into the crowd. The mixologist turned towards Peter, eyeing him.

“You look a little young there. Can I see some ID?” he asked Peter.

The brown haired boy’s brown hues widened, and he shook his head and waved his hands frantically.

“N-no, you got the wrong idea! I was told that you have some pop to serve?” Peter said questioningly, lifting a brow.

“Yes, I do. What do you want?” he asked.

“Uhh, two Pepsis please?” Peter asked.

The man nodded, leaning down under the bar before standing back up, placing two cans of ice-cold pop on the counter, sliding them towards the boy.

“There you go,” he said, turning over to his next customer.

Peter smiled, turning around to walk back to his table. But before he could even make a full step, he collided head-on with another person, sending both of them falling flat on their butts. They groaned as they stood, up, slight winces of already fading pain on their faces. Peter stood up, looking down at the person he ran into. It was a girl in a waitress uniform with (h/c) colored hair and (s/c) skin. Peter looked at her, thinking she didn’t look any older than him. In fact, she looked like she was nearly the same age. But there was something about her as he nervously looked in her (e/c) eyes… he saw something… bad. Like, really bad. It made his Peter Tingle (he tried to get his Aunt May to call his Spidey Sense, but she wouldn’t listen) go into overload. Every hair on his body stood straight up faster than Peter ever felt. And he just pissed her off by knocking her to the floor.

“What the  _ fucking hell _ ,” she mumbled as she stood up, brushing herself off.

Peter stared at her with panic in his eyes, mouth opening and closing with no words coming out of it. “I am  _ so _ sorry!” he finally said when he found his voice.

“It’s fine. I just don’t have time to deal with shit right now,” she grumbled, fixing her already perfectly fit uniform.

“Again, I’m really, really sorry,” he told her.

“Whatever. I got another job to do. Goodbye, and enjoy the party,” she said gruffly, turning away and walking into the crown towards the entrance.

Peter let out a nervous breath he didn’t even know he was holding in. Collecting himself, he made his way towards his and Ned’s table, sitting down in his chair.

“Look at you Casanova,” Ned said in a suave tone with a smirk on his face.

“What?” Peter asked, confusion clear on his face.

Ned rolled his eyes, all suaveness gone from his aura. “The girl,  _ duh _ ,” he said.

“Yeah, what about her?” Peter questioned, taking his fork and taking a piece of his food and shoving it in his mouth.

“Dude, you just talked to a girl! She looked our age, so it wouldn’t have been weird! Bonus, dude,” Ned told him, taking a sip of his Pepsi.

“No, nononono. I was getting out of that one way or another. You weren’t there… She was bad news,” Peter explained, leaning back in his chair, looking at Ned.

“Bad news… Like she’s two bits crazy bad or a villain bad?” Ned asked his friend, his spoon of fruity jello stopping in mid-air.

“…I don’t know…” Peter said.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

The conversation ended in comfortable silence, and the two of them ate the rest of their food. They even went back for seconds to eat their favorite dishes again! Peter insisted on telling Tony that the catering service was well chosen, and both him and Pepper were happy to hear it. Ned and Peter passed time by walking around and seeing what famous people were there and photobombing as many pictures as they could. After they got bored with that, they decided to go hit the dance floor, where he saw his Aunt May and Happy dancing to ‘Hot In Herre’.

It was something Peter defined as, “That is something I can never unsee…”.

But after getting over the shock (and embarrassment), Ned and Peter joined the crowd and dance a few songs. And after challenging Tony to a dance-off, things really did get hot in there, with Tony ripping open his shirt for dramatic flare. Pepper couldn’t decide whether she was pissed off to hell, or aroused. After much thought, she decided both and dragged Tony off of the floor before he did anything else.

“I can’t believe you!” Pepper scolded as they sat at the bar, waiting for their drinks. Tony sat to her right, a smile on his face as he buttoned up his shirts, fixing his costume.

“I know, I’m not even drunk yet,” he said, doing a final brushing off.

“Could’ve fooled me! I bet everyone thinks you’re plastered,” Pepper told him as the bartender placed their drinks in front of them. “Oh, thank you,” she said.

“Anything for the lucky couple,” he said, turning back to the other customers.

“Pepper, come on. I was having fun with the kid. You can’t be mad at me for that, can you?” he asked her, a smile on her face.

The strawberry blonde woman sighed, and she felt the ends of her lips twitch.  _ No, you are not letting him win _ , she thought.

“I see you smiling,” Tony smirked, taking a smug sip of his drink.

“Fuck you, Tony,” Pepper said, letting herself smile against her best 

Efforts, hiding it behind her hair that fell due to her hanging head.

“Mmm, maybe later tonight,” he said, downing the rest of his drink, taking note of the faint blush that dusted his fiance’s cheeks and ears. “But, I need to make the Thank You speech, because I lost to a Rock, Paper, Scissor’s game,” Tony said, putting a ten-dollar bill on the counter as a tip to the bartender.

Pepper laughed as she saw him walk away, twisting her body to look in the direction he wandered off in. “Oh, come on! Don’t be a sore loser!” she exclaimed.

Tony smiled as he heard her voice, passing a waiter. “Hey,” Tony said, walking up to him and patting him on the shoulder. “Let’s start passing around the sparkling grape juice, ok?” he asked.

The waiter nodded his head. “Right away, Mr. Stark. Would you like one first?” he asked.

“Yes, please,” Tony replied.

In a matter of minutes, Tony walked onto the stage, a tall and slim glass of sparkling grape juice in his hand. The raven haired man tapped his glass, and the music came to a halt and everyone’s attention went to him as a spotlight illuminated his presence on the stage.

Meanwhile, someone was perched on top of a building, watched his every movement. They were shrouded in the shadows, their black suit merging them perfectly so that they were unseen by any human eye. A loaded barrett sniper rifle their hands. They watched as Tony stood up on stage noting the nervous way they shifted the weight from side to side, and the small but if sweat that they could make out from their scope, aiming for their heart.

“Hello everyone. You know, first off, I want to thank you all for making time to be here. Even though most of us are too old to stay up till midnight partying,” Tony said, earning a few chuckles from the crowd. “Thank you, thank you. I try,” he said.

“So, I’m going to be honest with you all, I don’t have a real speech put together. I mean, I lost to my fiance in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. She won that with her mind games,” he told the crowd. “And then I tried, I honestly, truly did, try to write a speech. But everything I wrote down sounded stupid in my head, and I’m not that great at planning ahead,” he added, taking a few steps to the end of the platform.

“Stay still, asshole,” the figure cursed as Tony moved just as they put pressure on the trigger, ruining a clear shot, along with timing.

“But, I am great at doing things in the moment. So, I figured this would not only be better, but more genuine. Anyone can write stuff down and repeat them, but I feel like announcing words that are purely from what you feel are more meaningful. You’re so busy staying stuff with what you already know and have, you don’t have time to add in any filler,” he said. He lifted his head, eyes moving from his glass to meet Pepper’s own. And in that split second, he knew everything he wanted to say as if she brought all the answers into his mind. He watched as she motioned for him to breath in and out, gesturing to the room of people, a smile on her face. It wasn’t smug, excited, nor in a way she would observe him… He could see the love through it.

“Love is freaking hard. Like, really, really, hard. In my twenties, I tried to find it but failed miserably. I came close a couple of times, but it didn’t work out. So I spent the rest of the time being a party animal, and you all know that. And I continued, building Stark Laboratories, and I ended up hiring the very same woman that is the reason we’re here today,” he said, moving to the other end of the stage, ruining the person’s aim from the other building.

“And I did think about going on a date, but I figured it’d end badly, and stayed away from that kind of relationship. She was my friend, and I felt thankful enough for that,” he told the room. “But, then the whole Iron Man adventure came around, and I realized that I needed to stop being so scared. And I took a chance… And it was the best thing that I ever did,” he said. The room was silent as waiters and waitresses passed around glasses, just as enthralled in Tony’s speech as the people they were serving.

“Pepper, I mean it when I say I am the man I am today because of you,” he said, looking up and staring into her eyes across the room. And for a split second, it was just the two of them in the room. It was a funny feeling, knowing you were surrounded by people, but you didn’t care. What was going on was between them, and not anyone else.

“You managed to take a… whatever kind of mess I was and turned me into something better. God, Pepper, I’m someone who actually cares about things because of you! You kicked my back up when I was down, dragged my ass out of bed when I thought it was too early, and you showed me just what kind of hard it takes to keep the best things together. The people I want to be here may not be able to… But you are all the family I need. And if that family grows, I hope they’re just like you,” Tony said, raising his cup in the air. The room followed his example, raising their cups up as high as their arms could let them.

“Cheers,” Tony said.

A loud gunshot was heard, blasting Tony’s glass into a thousand pieces, the guest screaming as everything started to go to hell.


	10. Chapter 9

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ I missed _ , she thought, her heart flipping over and over again. Her heart rate started to increase faster as the seconds ticked away, and her body began to take breaths more frequently.

“Shit,” she muttered, looking up from her eye scope, (e/c) eyes looking across to the building across the street. She watched as people ran amuck in a panicked haze. She could hear the screaming, and the honking of horns the cars blared from people pouring out of the doors on the ground floor.

_ Come on, you can’t be dumb enough to stay in there _ , she thought, watching the streets for her targets. Finally, she watched as Anthony Stark and Virginia Potts staggered out of the venue, their hands intertwined as they looked around at the chaos that ensued around them.

_ “So my job is to kill Virginia Potts?” (y/n) asked as she picked up a file that was thrown her way from the Sergeant, who stood at the end of the table opposite from her. They were in the higher-ups’ mission control room again, though under different circumstances. Ms. Elor was gone, having left the second the girl was where she was supposed to be. (Y/n) looked at her superior, who shook his head. _

_ “Not quite. That would be too easy for you. You’re killing not only her, but someone else as well. Open it,” he ordered, gesturing to the file. _

_ Flipping it open, she saw not only a picture of Ms. Potts but a man whom she knew well from her time in HYDRA. _

_ “Stark,” she said. _

_ “Killing him while everything thing is hell is our best chance. No Avengers, the Vision guy is always away, his best ally is paralyzed and resting at his home, and he has some amateur bug helping him. He is  _ vulnerable _ . As is Ms. Potts,” Sergeant told her. (Y/n) looked away from him, and back at the picture. _

_ “I see. Not only are we killing one of our biggest enemies, but we’re also killing the woman who would inherit everything he has. The company will be in chaos, and we can take it,” she thought aloud. _

_ “Precisely. And our guest can be given another shot, seeing as she failed last time,” he grumbled, sitting down and pulling a cigar and a lighter from the inside of his uniform. He lit the end of the cigar, taking a drag from it. _

_ “She’s new, and took a job she knew she couldn’t handle. And on top of that, she ignored her job for a slice at revenge. Petty,” she said bluntly. _

_ “Yeah, well, not everyone can be a model student like you. So shut the fuck up and get going within the next two hours!” _

(Y/n) took a deep breath. She had to focus. With a record like hers, failure would not be taken lightly. And while she would never admit it, she knew that it would cost her life someday. And she didn’t want to start now. It was so easy, seeing as they were just standing in the middle of the street, unaware of the danger above.

“Tony, what happened!” Pepper yelled, her voice barely breaking through the screams and cars all around her and Tony. Her heart raced and breathing heavily as her eyes darted from one thing to the next.

Tony watched as she began to panic, and he let go of her hand, grabbing onto her shoulders to make her focus on him, locking eyes. “Hey, we’ll be ok,” he told her. “But for now, we need to get our heads together and take care of this. Ok?” he asked slowly, his calm voice blurring out everything else that was going on around them.

Pepper looked at him before nodding her head, taking a deep breath to soothe her nerves. She looked around, the sounds and sights of her surroundings coming back to her. 

“Alright,” she said. “Thanks, Tony. We need to call the police and ambulance in case people got hurt. Go get your suit, and call Peter. I’ll call Happy, and he’s with May, no doubt. I’ll see you later,” she said. Tony nodded his head, turning away to walk off until Pepper grabbed his hand and turned him back as she placed a quick kiss on his lips before walking off as if nothing happened.

“Tease,” he smirked as he watched her walk into the crowd, and followed her example. Tony drew his wrist up, pushing his sleeve back to reveal a high-tech wristwatch. Pulling it up to his mouth, Tony spoke into it.

“Friday!”

“Yes, Mr. Stark?”

“Call Peter Parker,”

“Right away,”

He listened as he wristwatch went silent, the faint sound of dialing could be heard over the loud noise of panic around him. Then, after a few seconds, he heard the young voice of Peter.

“Mr. Stark?!”

“Kid! Are you ok?!”

“Yeah, me and Ned are with Aunt May and Happy!”

“Good! Do you have your suit with you?”

“... Yes…”

“Good. Put it on and meet me on top of the building. We’re catching this son of a bitch right now,”

He didn’t give the teen a chance to say anything more and hung up.

“Friday, send me my suit!”

Meanwhile, Peter looked down at his phone, the red screen telling him that Mr. Stark had hung up on him.  _ Well, it’s not like he gave me a choice _ , he thought. He lifted his head, looking at Ned, Aunt May, and Happy, who was on the phone, taking as loud as he could to be heard over the noise.

Aunt May met his eyes, recognizing the glint in them. Her mouth dropped, marching her way directly in front of him, her presence ominous and foreboding. A force of nature.

“Oh no. No,” she said.

“N-no what?” Peter stuttered, his eyes unable to look away from her intense glare.

“Don’t play coy with me, young man. We are in a crisis! You are not going to play superhero now of all times,” she told him.

Peter’s nervously swallowed, quickly putting his phone in her hand, as well as his sunglasses. She knew it was a sign of defiance that could make matters worse, but he was needed. She looked down at the items, trying to get her voice together.

“What- No- Peter!” she exclaimed.

Her plea caused Peter to look in her eyes. Like, really look. And he knew she was scared to let him go like she was every time. And it pulled at his heart, just like it did every time as well.

“Aunt May, I know you don’t know this yet, but I can handle myself. I’ve faced worse than this. I will be fine. I need you to have faith in me. Not just now, but every time,” he told her.

Aunt May stared at him, people running past their little group, and she faintly heard Happy yelling again. Peter was willing to stop all this so people could go back home again tonight. And he was right. She needed to start having faith in him. Or, at least in this new part of his life at least.

“Go,” was all she said to him, a stern look on her face.

“Thank you, Aunt May,” Peter said, smiling as he ran back towards the building, and into an alleyway next to it. He peeled his costume off, revealing his Spider-Man suit underneath. He had learned his lesson from last time, took his suit with him. And while he would never allow anyone to know, he secretly hoped for a reason to suit up. Obviously, shooting wasn’t close to what he had in mind. He was hoping he’d meet a small fan at the party or something along those lines. But helping out his idol was the next best thing. Finally, pulling his mask over his head, Peter began to scale the walls.

The higher he climbed, the more everything seemed faded. The sounds from below echoed, like yelling into a well and hearing your voice come back to you. And he noticed just how cold the late October air was, and he shivered at the feeling of it through his suit. He climbed to the top in no time. And there, looking over the edge, in all his red and gold glory, was Mr. Stark in his Iron Man suit.

The metal suited man was looking over the scene below until he heard heavy panting and turned his head to face Peter.

“That was quick. Had your suit on you?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, under my costume. Figured after last time I didn’t have it on me, it was a good idea,” Peter told him.

“Well, it paid off. Ok, you check the south end of the street while I go-”

A gunshot went off as a bullet ricocheted off of Tony’s helmet, making his head knockback as if he had been punched. Peter tackled him, laying them both flat on the ground.

“I think we found them!” Peter exclaimed.

“You think?!” Tony yelled, quickly getting up. “Friday, thermoscan the area,” Tony said, looking around so his AI could do so. His screen exploded with heat signatures, highlighting any warmth from anything alive. He looked down, a mess of red, orange, and yellow blobs moving to get away from the most frequent gunshot. He brought his vision up, looking across the street, seeing a flash of red running across the roof of the building across from him before disappearing just as quickly as he saw it.

“Did you-”

“Yeah, me too!”

With no hesitation, Peter shot a web before jumping off and pulling himself towards the opposite roof. “Karen, can you turn on night vision?” he asked.

“Right on it, Peter,”

The world instantly became brighter, startling Peter, causing him to almost slat against the side of the building. But besides that, he could see everything he needed to. The once pitch black world turned into more of a gray, like in the middle of a thunderstorm. He landed on the rooftop with ease, wildly looking around for anything of the mystery attacker.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

_ Well, you sure did fuck up _ , (y/n) thought as she landed on a building, before running and jumping off of it again. She was already a good five buildings away from her mistake. Her heart flipped at the memory of her target stumbling back from her perfect shot. She had shot him right in between the eyes and only went down when Spider-Man tackled him down. 

_ It’s impossible. I used the strongest bullets I have, no metal on earth can stop it except for- _ , she thought seemed to freeze as the realization hit her, apparently, harder than her bullet to her target’s forehead.  _ Vibranium _ , she thought bitterly. She had read reports on how Mr. Stark was working with the country of Wakanda, working with them and even getting a small amount of their precious metal. As she landed on a building, she paused to take a look back at her. Her eyes picked up a flash of red and blue hot on her tail, causing her to pick up speed.

She had to be careful. (Y/n) had been given less than a day to get ready, review her files, and wasn’t given much time to research all concerning parties. She had no idea the extent of her tracker’s powers, abilities, or fighting skills. She could handle it, she knew she could, but her heart flipped as she thought about it. They made her rush the progress, and now here she was, running away from her first-ever failed mission.

(Y/n) looked back at Spider-Man, and sighed. In a flash of light, a handgun appeared in her hand, and she stopped in her tracks, pointing it at the hero.

“Stop before I shoot!” she yelled. Her eyes followed him as he landed on the opposite edge of the roof.

“Woah! W-we don’t need to bring a gun into this,” he said, holding his hands up, slowly walking towards her.

Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice. She recognized it.  _ It’s the boy from the party… _ , she thought. Now she was being chased by a superbug hero who knew her face. She narrowed her eyes at him, taking a step back to conceal her face as much as possible. If he recognized her now, she couldn’t run the risk of being tracked.

“No, I think we do,” she said. Aiming for his head, she pulled the trigger without batting an eyelash.

Spider-Man dodged the bullet, flattening himself against the roof as the bullet shot through the air. Using this as her chance, (y/n) exchanged her gun for a double-ended spear and ran at him, the full moon’s light reflecting off of its metal surface.

She watched as he got back up, backing up near the edge of the building.

"Please don't. I  _ really  _ don't like to hit girls, " he told her.

"Too bad, I do," she said, lunging at him. She held her spear firmly in both hands as she jabbed it at his heart.

(Y/n)'s spear just barely missed him as he flipped back, his hands and feet allowing him to stick to the side of the building. Her foot pressed itself against the roof's edge, stopping her from following him. A golden ax appeared in her hand, and she swiftly lifted it above her head and swung it down. Her opponent was just barely able to dodge it by rolling across the brick.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, watching as she pulled it from the crack she created when the blade embedded in the building.

There was a flash above him, and all of a sudden he was being pulled from the building and slammed again the cold concrete of the rooftop. He groaned as he felt something loose against his shoulder before slithering away. Spider-Man got up and saw (y/n) pulling back a whip, cracking it as she started him dead on.

"Fight me upfront like a hero, coward," she said.

He was outta there like the ghosts of the damned sought his soul.

"KAREN HELP ME, "

_ Who the hell is Karen? _ , she thought, taking off after him. She sighed, running across the roof before jumping after him. She chased him from building to building, not once slowing down. Eventually, they came to a stop, and she sped up, knowing what he was planning.

_ If he shoots a web he’ll be harder to track _ , she thought. She was in his territory. This was his city. She was already at a disadvantage of not knowing his capabilities, and she didn’t need another one.

Spider-Man looked back at her one last time, before facing the edge of the building. He could faintly see the traffic lights if an intersection and the sound of a train running along its track. If he could land on that train, he could make it. As he came to edge, the open area was laid out before him. And sure enough, the train was making its way through tracks and into a tunnel that had enough room for him to be on top of it and stand.

He jumped without a second thought and shot a web to the nearest building, pulling himself towards it. Letting go of his web, he glided with his side wings, gracelessly and carelessly landing on the train. If it wasn’t for his ability to stick to things, he’d had fallen off without a doubt.

(Y/n) stared at him as he landed, her eyebrows furrowing together. She sprinted towards the clearing, her heart racing as she finally jumped off the building. Time slowed as she fell, the wind flying past her ears and through her hair, hurtling towards the concrete road below her. But as she fell halfway down, a bright light engulfed her body and caught the attention of onlookers. They watched as the light morphed into shapes, pieces of armor forming and placing itself on her body. Just as the light died down, it was gone.

Spider-Man watched as (y/n) landed on the train in a kneeled position as she used one of her hands keeping her steady. Pastel purple, gray and white fabric covered her body. They were held together with thin iron armor pieces that covered her chest, torso, shoulders, arms, shins, and feet. Each piece shaped into a feather design, with intricate detail added to the touch. And on her back were two metal wings, that rested along the back.

The train finally raced into the tunnel, plunging the hero and villain into a dimly lit setting, with only the light from the inside of the train allowing them to see.

“That was the coolest costume change I’d EVER seen!” he commented, standing up, his feet sticking to the top of the train. Her blank eyes started him down as she took a battle stance.

“Good, I’m aiming for it to be the last,” (y/n) said emotionlessly as two twin short swords appeared in her hands, matching the rest of her armor.

“What?!” he exclaimed before she surged forwards, swords geld tight in her grip.

He was barely able to dodge the blade as it sliced past the eyes of his mask as she swung her sword through the air. His fist lashed out on instinct, striking her on the side of her torso, briefly knocking her off balance. (Y/n)’s feet stumbled over one another before catching herself quickly as she turned to face Spider-Man.

Seeing his opening, he lunged at her with a swinging fist. She dodged it with ease, swiftly kicking his sides. He yelled as she kicked his ribs, falling to the side of the train. His vision blurred as the kick launched him towards the edge. When his vision finally focused, his eyes widened when they were met with the brick wall of the inner tunnel. On instinct, he swung his hands behind him, shooting two web lines and pulled himself back as hard as he could. His back slammed against the metal surface of the train.

But the second he looked up, a sword was coming at his head, making him roll over to avoid it. (Y/n)’s swords pierced the metal, and they both heard the faint sounds of screams from the people below them. (Y/n)’s eyes widened, sudden realization hitting her.

_ I forgot that there were actual people under us… But this plays to my advantage _ , she thought, lifting her head to face the hero standing before her.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she summoned a firearm, aiming it towards his feet. He followed the line of sight of the gun in her arms, realizing what she was doing.

“Put the gun down!” he yelled, aiming his web blasters at her.

She had him. The windswept past them, but it did little to affect her aim.  _ No matter what, it’s in my favor. Whether I actually manage to shoot someone or not, it'll cause a panic at the very least _ , she thought.

“I’d back off if I were you,” she said darkly. Even with her eyes trained on her aim, she could sense the fearful conflict within him. She moved her finger to fully hover over the trigger. “I said back off.  _ Now _ ,” she repeated, flipping her safety off.

He watched as she prepared to take fire. He knew she wasn’t faking it. He could hear it in her voice. She meant business. The train exited the tunnel, the bright lights of the city illuminated the night world around them. He lifted his hands up, slowly taking three steps back.

(Y/n) lifted her arms, changing her aim, and walked up to him. She crept closer until the barrel of the gun pressed up against the center of his chest. For a second, she thought she could see the beating of his heart.

“I don’t usually aim for the heart since it technically takes longer for it to kill you, whereas a clean shot to the head is done and over with,” she explained, pressing her finger against the trigger. “But I’ll make an exception for you,” she finished.

She watched as the eyes of his masks seemed to close, and how his adams apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“You’re really sick, you know that,” he told her in a cracking voice, the emotion wavering between disgust and fear.

“I’ve heard worse,” she said emotionlessly as she pulled the trigger.

“KID!”

A loud gunshot was heard as a flash of blue light shot her, throwing her off of the train completely. In her place stood Iron Man his hand blasters dying down from their recent shot.

“Peter, you alright?!” Tony asked, his metal mask lifting so he could look over the teen in front of him. The bullet completely missed his body when he blasted the girl was shot off of the train, leaving the stunned hero unharmed.

Peter stood frozen in time, his mind forcing his entire being into a state of shock…

_ I almost died… _ , he thought as his hands began to shake. True, he had been close to dying a few times, but he could always see a way out of it. This time, he stared death right in the face. The bullet would have ripped right through him, and he had no way of escaping it. But Mr. Stark had arrived...

“Peter! Answer me!” Tony yelled.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter mumbled in a dazed tone.

Tony let out the breath that had refused to leave his lungs, relief filling him and swallowing him whole. “Thank god,” he whispered, before glaring straight at him.

“What the hell were you thinking?!” he screamed.

“What?” Peter asked, looking up at him, the eyes of his maks conveying his confusion. What was he thinking? WHAT WAS HE THINKING?! HE ALMOST GOT SHOT. THAT’S WHAT HE WAS THINKING.

“What do you mean?” Peter asked.

“Why was there a gun pressed against you?!” Tony yelled.

“It was either me or them!” Peter yelled back, gesturing to the roof of the bus.

“That’s it, we’re done. I’m telling Aunt May,” Tony scoffed. Anger fumed off of him in waves, and all he could see was red as he walked towards the edge of the train, getting ready to take off. But before he could even look up, a silver short sword was thrown at his feet.

“Nice of you to join us, Iron Man,”

The two heroes looked up in alarm, Peter’s eyes widening as he looked up.

“Holy shit,” he said.

(Y/n) was flying in the air, the wings of her armor spread out on either side of her before they closed back along her back. She swiftly landed on the moving train, glaring at both of them. She had scratches all over her body and the metal pieces of her armor, the light fabric ripped along the edges.

“Who are you?” Tony asked, his mask once again lowering to cover his face.

The sword that was embedded into the metal of the train disappeared in a flash of light as a bo staff appeared in her grip. She took a sturdy fighting stance, planting her feet firmly on the metal.

“Your executioner,” she told him bluntly. She dashed forwards faster then they could process it, the wind seeing to work on her favor rather than against her. In one quick motion, her staff hit against them, shoving them off the side of the train as Iron Man had done earlier.

The two heroes screamed as they fell, crashing harshly against the concrete. Small cracks formed underneath them from the sheer pressure of their fall. Pain erupted through their bones and muscles as if they wanted to let the whole body know that they had a crash landing.

“Friend of yours?” Tony groaned as he laid there.

“No, not exactly,” Peter told him.

“Well, she seems nice,” Tony said sarcastically.

The iron suited man pushed himself up, looking around him and taking in their surroundings. Large metal shipping crates were stacked on top of one another like wooden buildings that children stacked. The moon shone high in the sky, gleaming off of the smooth surfaces, allowing him to the pairing of letters and numbers printed on the sides of the crates.

“Uugh, where are we?” Peter asked, following his role model’s lead and sitting up.

“Uhhh… Friday?”

“You are in a storage unit area on the east side, sir,”

Tony shot up, pulling Peter with him, straightening himself on his feet. His muscles felt like they were screaming at him, and his back was killing him. 

“Come on, we gotta make a plan, ” Tony said hastily, looking around for anything he could use.

“What?” Peter asked.

His question caused the iron suited man to freeze, looking back at him. Through the mask, Peter could feel the angry shock that he was feeling. Tony could not believe that  _ this _ was his best option to fight with right now. How was he still alive at this point? Truth was, not even Peter knew the answer to that question.

“Wha- Ha- How have you not been killed in a fight yet?!” Tony exclaimed, dramatically throwing out his arms to emphasize his point. But Peter only shrugged his shoulders, causing Tony to groan at the teen’s careless attitude.

“Dear Lord, help us all…” he said under his breath, looking around at the storage area, his the wheels in his head twisting in turning as he tried to build a sustainable plan.

It had to play to their new setting, and apply the skills that they both had. Their opponent was obviously skilled in combat, with it without weapons. And on top of that, she seemed to have powers of some sort. Pondering this fact, Tony and Peter's best chance would have to be teamwork, and somehow overwhelm her so she couldn't have time to think, or do magically pull out a weapon.

Suddenly, Tony’s head snapped towards Peter, voice clear and confident.

“Kid, I know what to do,”


	11. Chapter 10

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


(Y/n) watched as the two heroes collided into one another before she whacked them off the roof of the train. The train sped by as she heard a crash fading off into the distance, the wind blowing her armor and hair in every direction.  _ It’s not over _ , she thought. Turning towards the direction where her targets were, the metal wings on her back spread around her as she jumped up. The wind gave her a speed boost as she looked around for a spot close by to land safely. 

She found a small clearing outside of a metal fence and landed. Looking past the fence, she saw metal crates stacked neatly in rows. Looking into the aisles between them, she could faintly see evidence of a crash. Long, clear scratches headed further into the aisle past where she couldn’t see, with small pebbles of rubble near where she couldn’t see. She turned her head, seeing a small dent in the top of a fence a few yards away from where she stood. It wasn’t hard to piece together that her quarries were somewhere beyond the fence. 

Taking a deep breath, (y/n) leaned against the metal fence. Her breaths were shaky as she allowed the pain to settle in her lungs and torso as her hand gripped her side. She looked down at her midsection, seeing the black scorch marks in the iron of her armor where she had been shot. She cursed herself, the pain from the pressure of her hand causing it to flinch away, and her heart flipped repeatedly. Her flight armor was one of her favorites, but it wasn’t meant to defend well. The armor was designed to be thin and almost weightless, allowing her to fly with little resistance and breath easier for when she was higher up in the atmosphere with thinner air. The fabric was the same way, being thin and holding little weight to itself.

Sighing, she changed into her mission suit as she held a handgun in her hand. The gun was more advanced, shooting something similar to what Iron Man had shot her with using his hand blasters. It glowed a pale orange as small sections of light glowed on the side. She turned it over, tapping at the few buttons before the glowing sections on the side raised up a few notches from stun to kill. Putting it in the gun holster on her belt, she climbed over the fence and landed with ease.

After pulling out her gun again, she slunk against the crates, slowly walking towards the aisle. Her hands gripped the gun as her finger rested against the barrel, ready to move to the trigger at any given moment. The area was silent as she quietly moved, ears strained for any sound besides the typical noise from the city that lies beyond the fence and train tracks. Taking a deep breath, she jumped out into the aisle moving her finger over the trigger. A few feet away from where she stood, she could the faint craters and small cracked formed from where Iron Man and Spider-Man had crash-landed.

She cautiously walked up to get a better look at them. One was larger than the other, but they were no more than half an inch deep. More of a rocky dent now that she thought about it. The smaller one had more of a body imprint than the larger one, which looked like a tall rock was dropped. There was no sign of blood, making her narrow her eyes. She had to assume both were alive, seeing as it wasn’t a very fatal fall, and considering that all parties concerned were not typical unprepared civilians.

“Great…” she breathed. Then, her whole body froze up as her ears strained as she heard light footsteps on top of the crate. Her reflexes kicked in, turning around and shooting towards the direction of the sound.

On top of the crate was Spider-Man, barely being able to dodge the glowing orange blast she shot at him. He screamed as he dropped down to the cold metal surface. “Now!” he called out. In seconds, the ground near her shook, and her eyes widened.

_ Oh fuck _ , was the only thing that came to her mind. (Y/n) turned around, ducking as a fist flew at her. Straightening herself up, her eyes followed as the iron armored superhero stepped forward, stopping himself from stumbling forwards. He twisted his body, aiming another blow at her jaw. (Y/n) deflected it with ease, her gun pointed at his forehead.

Spider-Man watched as she raised her gun, his heart beating anxiously. “Oh my god- Hey!” he screamed, jumping down from his spot. As he landed, he raised his wrists and aimed it towards the two warring bodies. He watched their heads turn in his direction just as he launched two strings of web his enemy.

The (h/c) haired girl caught sight of the silky silver strands came at her. Her body acted on impulse, grabbing Iron Man and pulling him in front of her before the webs could even touch her. Successfully using him as a shield, (y/n) lifted her foot to kick him square in the chest. A loud “thump” reverberated from her foot hitting his chest plate as he was knocked into the red and blue suited hero. Spider-Man caught him with ease, not letting him fall as he hefted the large metal suit up straight.

(Y/n) wasted no time, switching her gun for a battle ax and swinging it at the two men.

“Upupupupupupup!” Spider-Man screamed at Iron Man, hitting his shoulder over and over again as his other hand gripped the opposite shoulder. A symphony of two high pitched screams echoed as the gleaming blade cut through the air. Iron Man pushed his hands out in front of him on instinct and activated his flight mode. His hand blasters lit up to life, forcing them to fly back away from the battle axes sharpened edge. The world flashed past them both in a blur. Suddenly, a piercing pain exploded along Spider-Man’s back, causing him to cry out as his back arched. They crashed to the ground in a heap, each man rolling off of the other.

“Kid!” Iron Man yelled, sitting up and looking him over as his body tensed up.

Spider-Man groaned as he laid on the ground, taking deep breaths to steady himself. The pain flared and died in waves as he tried to focus on the sound of his friend’s voice. “I’m fine… I’m fine,” he told him. Iron Man let out the air in his lungs, his shoulders dropping. “But next time,” the red and blue hero added. “When I say  _ up _ , I don’t mean your  _ hands _ , I mean your  _ whole freaking body _ ,” he rasped, hissing as he rolled over and started to stand up.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’ll try and carefully think about your fastly said words, pondering what you exactly meant by them as we’re about to be decapitated!”

“Now is not the time for this!”

“You started it short stack!”

A flash of light broke apart their bickering, heads turning to look at the girl in front of them as she held a sword in her hand. The blade extended to just a little over half of her height, the handle wrapped in a mix of leather and cloth. It reflected the light and cast shadows as the medieval form of it captured the attention of the two, it’s magical and older world design adding to its grace and appeal. It was a knight's weapon, through and through.

“Move!” the iron armored man yelled as he shoved his partner over as she lunged at them. The sword scraped against the metal of his arm, sparks flying. “Shield!” he cried as he held his hand up. The grooves and cracks in his forearm beamed a pale blue as the metal broke apart and reformed, changing into the shape of an oval.

(Y/n)’s sword clashed against it, a stalwart “bong” resounding throughout the air. Pulling back her sword, she raised it above her head and hit the pommel of her sword against his head as hard as she could.

“Ahh!” he cried. Colors clouded his vision as he felt himself fall to the ground, his armor suddenly becoming too heavy to bear. Panic started to take him over as faint alarms sounded off, and red light lighting up his screens. But it wasn’t there for long as the mask of his helmet was ripped off. Fresh, cool air hit his face, allowing his mind to wake up. He looked up, seeing a figure looking down at him, but his body just wouldn’t react to it. And before he knew it, a hard fist slammed itself against his face, causing another round of color to invade his sight.

(Y/n) was kneeled beside him, drawing her fist back before it struck against his face, over and over again. Even as blood spilled from his face as the blood from her knuckles mixed with his own, and his eyes wouldn’t even quiver to open anymore, she didn’t stop. Her body refused to stop, determined to fulfill her job. If she could at least terminate her most important quarry, then perhaps her superiors wouldn’t be as furious at the mess she had made and give her another chance to eliminate her second.

When she finally ceased her assault, her knuckles burned as her fist and his face was painted red with blood, skin bruised and battered. The mighty Iron Man laid on his back, defeated before her, unable to even try to put up a fight. She was tired, bruised, and was even injured from a blast to her torso, but she was alive, and the victor of her battle. 

Her fist shook at her side as her (e/c) eyes emotionlessly gazed at his face. Her heart flipped in her chest as she did. It was small and fleeting, and for a second, she questioned if it was ever there or if it was her tired brain playing tricks on her. Ignoring the pain and exhaustion that started to bite at her body from the inside out, she picked up the sword that laid at her side. The weight of it made her hand want to drop it. Gripping it with both hands, the blade pointed towards the ground as she lifted it above her head. Looking at his face one last time, she pushed her blade down.

Then, it was as if lightning struck her. She screamed as she dropped her sword clattered to the ground, her body freezing up as she fell over in spasms and twinges. Electricity coursed throughout her body, feeling as if she was being inflamed from the inside out. White bolts briefly flickering on her skin as her voice began to fail her. Before she knew it, she was lying on the cold hard ground. Colors swirled together before her eyes, and different sounds morphed in on each other. She willed her body one last struggle to move in vain before her body gave in, and the world turned to black.

Peter sat up from his spot as he cut off the taser web that was connected with his web blaster, breathing heavily. He glared at her body was her fingers slightly twitched, particularly her trigger finger, as if her body was still desperate to fight off his sudden attack. But eventually, even her finger slowly came to a rest, and he felt a wave of relief wash over him like warm water in a bath. His hands reached up to tear off his mask, instantly going to his mentor’s side.

“Mr. Stark! Wake up!” he yelled, his voice cracking as his brown eyes looked over his battered face. “No, no, not you too. Mr. Stark, please, WAKE UP!” he screamed, shaking Mr. Stark’s shoulders. There was no response as Peter’s eyes shined with tears, his lips quivering as his head fell against the chest plate.

“Ugh… God, you're one of those ugly cries, aren't you?”

The voice was quiet and tired as it spoke, a bit ragged, by Peter would know it anywhere.

Peter’s head lifted up to see Mr. Stark’s mouth fall open as he took breaths in gasps.

“Mr. Stark! You’re ok!” Peter exclaimed, sitting up as a smile broke onto his face.

“I am astonishingly insulted. After all the shit I’ve nearly died from, you think I can be killed by some chick with deluxe costume changes? I think you should be grounded from your suit again,” Mr. Stark told him, a thread irritation in his voice as he rasped out his words and cracked open his eyes.

“Ok, fine. Whatever you want, just- I’m really glad you’re ok!” Peter cried, wiping his eyes.

“Me too. Peper would have killed me…” Mr. Stark breathed out.

Peter watched as he rested his head against the ground, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Nice job on the taser, kid,” he told Peter, a small smile gracing his bloody and bruised face.

“Thank you. You rest up, ok?” Peter asked him.

“Yeah… Sounds good to me,” the raven haired man sighed, closing his eyes.

Peter let out a small yet timid chuckle before pulling his mask back on. “Hey, Karen, call an ambulance please, and Happy, please,” he said.

“An ambulance is on its way. Calling Happy right now,”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“OH MY GOD!”

“Pepper, it’s not that bad,”

“THAT BITCH BROKE THREE DIFFERENT SPOTS ON YOUR HEAD!”

“Well, I almost got nuked in space. Takes a lot to top that,”

Pepper sighed as she mumbled a list of curses at him and rubbed her temples. They were in a small infirmary room that was clean and calmly decorated with shades of white and ivory. There were two beds with an opened curtain in between them. Tony laid in the one closest to the door one left while Peter laid in the one on the right that was closest to the window. Three chairs line the wall that the beds faced, looking comfier than the very beds they laid in.

After an ambulance picked them up, they were taken to a hospital that Tony had built that was connected with Stark Industries. It was perfect for situations like this, where identities needed to remain secret at all costs. Peter laid in his hospital bed, looking out the window. He had been checked over by doctors and nurses, despite not having any obviously concerning injuries. But Only had inserted that it needed to be done. So, Peter sucked it in and did as he was told, not having the energy to fight after everything that had happened. Now, they both were laying in bed with their wounds clean and dressed at the mercy of Pepper Potts.

"I'm sorry," the strawberry blonde haired woman said, taking a deep breath and looking at both of the males in front of her. "I'm just glad that you're both ok, " Pepper stated, going to sit in one of the chairs that faced the beds on the opposite end of the room.

The brown haired teen turned to face her, a polite smile on her face. "Thanks, Ms. Potts. Did you hear anything from my Aunt May by any chance?" Peter asked as his eyes pleaded for an answer.

"Yes, I called her as soon as I found out about you guys being here. She and Happy are driving here right now," Pepper told him. Her response calmed him down as he allowed himself to sink into the bed.

Tony was the opposite. He got no relief, his whole body on guard as his mind was focused and alert. "Wait… what about… her," he asked, his eyes darkening at the mention of the (h/c) darkening assassin.

Pepper looked down at his question as if she was hoping to avoid the whole situation altogether. "She, umm… She was taken to the containment units at Stark Tower. She's being kept under medically, but her body is fighting it somehow. We've never seen anything like it…" she told him, her voice shaking with a fearful uncertainty. "Tony, whoever or whatever she is… She's enhanced. Like Steve kind of enhance, but it's in her DNA. It's natural, somehow," she spoke.

“Oh, great… While we’re talking about it, is there anything else that we need to mention here?” he asked, combing his hands through his hair.

“The government is looking through all of their files and sources as we speak,” Pepper told him.

The conversation halted as the door slammed open, the wall shaking from the force as the door bounced off of it. If it wasn’t for the doorknob stub, there would have been a fresh new hole in the wall. In the doorway was a panting red faced May, her hair askew and glasses barely hanging on the edge of her nose. She still wore her costume from the party, albeit all other accessories had been abandoned in her mad dash from the party to the hospital.

“Peter!” she exclaimed in a haggard breath, her body taking in air as she talked. “You’re- You’re ok! Woo… That was a long way…” she said, lowering her head and closing her eyes, her hair covering them.

Happy came next to her in a similar state, red faced and exasperated. “Peter, Tony, you guys are alive!” he said.

At his comment, Tony gasped, his mouth dropping as he widened his eyes, feigning offense. “Were you expecting any less, or hoping that we’d be done in?” he asked him, his voice dripping with fake concern, a small smile fighting its way on his lips. They stared at each other as Happy walked in, a smile on his face.

“Seriously, glad you didn’t die,” Happy told him, sitting in the chair next to Pepper.

“Hi, Aunt May,” Peter spoke from his bed, giving her a small wave.

“Oh, are you ok?” she asked, making her way to stand next to his bed, her eyes looking him over as she looked at the bruises on his skin.

“What happened to Ned?” he asked, suddenly aware that his friend was nowhere in sight.

“I sent him home. No way was I going to keep him in that mess any longer than he needed to be. Child, are you ok,” she asked.

“Good. And, and I’ve been worse off. After a building falls on you, everything seems small,” he replied.

“I don’t care about that, I just want to know if you’re alright,” she asked, her voice stern as she stared him down. Her head suddenly whipped around, facing the raven haired man in the opposite bed. “He is, is he?” she asked.

“Yeah, he’s fine. Although, I did get pissed when a gun was pressed up against his chest,” Tony said, glaring straight at the brown haired teen across from him.

“You almost got shot?!” Aunt May screamed, her eyes were blown with worry as she turned back to her nephew.

“He almost got stabbed in the head with a sword!” Peter shot back, as she pointed at Mr. Stark, who glared at him as his mouth dropped.

“Oh really?! What about you? I had to save you!”

“You’d be dead if I didn’t electrocute her,”

“You wouldn’t have been electrocuted her if I didn’t save your butt,”

“Boys! Please, be mature for a few more minutes,” May deadpanned, walking over to sit next to Happy in her chair, an annoyed look on her face.

Pepper stepped up, gaining everyone’s attention. “May’s right. We have more pressing matters to deal with,” she said, folding her arms across her chest. “We have to interrogate the girl and find out what to do with her,” she said.


	12. Chapter 11

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The first thing (y/n) knew when she woke up was that she was strapped down. It was sudden when her eyes flashed open. Like someone had flipped on a light switch. One moment, she was relaxed and everything was black, and the next, a bright light shone in her eyes that caused a slight sting as they fluttered to adjust. Her chest calmly rose and fell as her heart flipped over and over again.

Finally adjusting to the light above her head, she turned her head, taking in her surroundings. It was a small room with plain gray walls, ceiling, and floors. There was a small steel table on wheels with a bottle and a needle on it. A small beeping made her turn the opposite way, and she saw a heart monitor. The small green line showing her heart rate, and wires leading from the machine to a glowing blue clamp on her finger and wrist. Lifting her head, she looked over her chest and saw her body strapped to the table by thick metal cuffs. They circled around her arms, legs, and torso tightly, ensuring that she barely had room to breathe. Tearing her eyes away from the metal cuffs, and moved to the door that stood at the far end of the room. Next to it was a long horizontal mirror, showing her the reflection of the room.

_ Great. An interrogation room. Couldn’t be any more obvious _ , she thought. (Y/n) let out a sigh as her head thumped against the table, closing her eyes when the light once again flashed in her (e/c) eyes.

Closing her eyes, relaxing her body and feeling the muscles in her body. She focused on the feeling of the blood pumping into her and, and the slight discomfort of being strapped down on the table. Then, in a desperate attempt at using her raw strength, she surged all of her energy into her arms. They slammed against the cuffs, a loud rattling sound in response to her efforts. She continued until her arms began to shake, threatening to give out. Taking a deep breath, she let it out, and an irritated groan followed it as her body gave out. Her arms slumped back into place and she took shallow breaths.

“Goddamnit,” (y/n) muttered calmly, and she felt her heart give a small little flip as she did. She knew it was anger. What else could it be when you were strapped down on a stupid table?

“Yeah, that won’t work out too well,” a voice said, it’s cocky tone echoing throughout the room.

_ Stark _ , the (h/c) haired girl thought. She lifted her head and looked over her chest, coming face to face with her (failed)target.

He looked at her leaning against the open doorway with his hands in his pockets. He was no longer in a costume, nor a metal suit, but casual black pants and light gray long sleeve shirt that he rolled up to his elbows. His head was patched up and she could see a nasty red and purple bruise on his eyes and nose. His face was somber and serious as he stared at her. And she glared at him with whatever she was supposed to be feeling at that moment. It must have worked from what she could tell because she watched as his shoulders stiffen.

Tony shuffled uneasily in his place in the doorway, looking away from her, and towards a random place at the wall at his 

“What? surprised to see me? Well, see me alive?” he asked, getting no answer. “Ah, I see. Let me guess, you kill a simple life waitress, steal her uniform and name, try to kill, not only me but my partner, and you won’t even say a fucking word. Can't believe I spent twelve hours waiting for this,” he spat out, walking in front of the mirror with his arms crossed across his chest.

_ Twelve hours? How long was I out? It must be near noon by now _ , she thought, keeping her mouth shut.

Tony scoffed at her, shaking his head as he looked down. He thought he’d be done dealing with shit like this, and people like them, but he never got a break. It was still going after all these years, just one deadly hurdle after the other, just rolling with the punches. Taking a breath and breathing it out, he looked back up at her.

“I don’t know what this is to you, but you’re in some real tuff shit right now,” he told her. And again, she didn’t so much as make a sound.

“Know what, fine. Let’s do this the old fashioned way,” he said.

(Y/n) heard a slight rustle of fabric, before a clicking noise was heard. At once, the table she was laying in beeped, and she felt herself moving. The back portion of the table rising while the leg portion lowered. Her head turned in all directions, watching as the table slowly formed itself into a chair. Her arms her raised next, coming to rise leveled with her waist as the extra straps around her torso and thighs seemed to fold away. But the cuffs holding her hands and feet remained.

(Y/n) looked up to face Tony head-on, staring him down.

Tony almost laughed at her for that. “Oh, please. Take it from me, you are in  _ no  _ place to act like that. I mean, you’re the one in the chair and is currently being held for questioning,” Tony stated as he carefully paced in front of the mirror.

(Y/n) watched as he glared at her, never once turning his back on her. The action reminded her of the way an animal would stand in front of their young, from the look in his eyes to the stance he held towards her.

“Well, say something. Anything,” he said bitterly.

“...”

“...”

Tony sighed, rubbing his eyes. Closing them, he felt them burn as light tears sprang in reaction, like water dripping on a hot pan on a stove.

“Are they there?”

Her voice came so suddenly, Tony almost jumped a few inches in the air but settled for jerking his head up.

“What?”

(Y/n) rolled her eyes at the man in front of her. “Are they behind that mirror?” she asked again.

Tony’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “Is who behind the mirror?” he asked.

“I’m not stupid Mr. Stark. I’ve been in more of these situations than you may think. If there’s a mirror, someone’s behind it,” she said emotionlessly with a blank face. “So tell me… who’s behind it?” she asked cooly.

Tony stared at her, the hairs on the back of his neck rising faster than he would want to admit.

“Fine, let me guess. Based on the way you seem to be, let’s use the word,  _ protecting _ , the mirror, I’m going to take a wild guess and say, Virginia Potts,” (y/n) said, not missing the way his eyes changed as she spoke that name. His eyes darkened like the way many of her targets did when they were ready to spill blood to defend themselves.

“I’d tread carefully if I were you,” Tony said in a dangerously blunt voice. (Y/n) planted a fake smile on her face, as she stared in his eyes. 

“But if it were just Ms. Potts that was in here, you wouldn’t be pacing around so much, no, there’s more people you care in there. Your  _ partner _ perhaps? By the sound of his voice, he must be at the very least, fourteen, fifteen maybe? And the way you shot me just as I was about to shoot him, he must practically be a son. Right?” she asked bluntly. Her question caused Tony to stand up straight.

“Stop right there-”

“But you’re not the type of man to do something without it being needed. You and I both know that when it comes to human attachment, it’s very rare you bond more than you need to. It’s why you have such a small and protected circle of friends. So if you’re acting like a father to him, then that means that his own isn’t around one way or another-”

“STOP,”

(Y/n) indulged him and did as he said, watching as fear started to take over in his eyes, and she leaned back in her chair, staring passed Tony and straight into the mirror.

Behind the mirror, Pepper and Peter stood there, watching it as two government workers observed the interrogation, horrified looks on their faces. But it was nothing compared to the looks of terror on the woman and teen. Pepper stared at the back of Tony’s head, worry lining her face clear as day. And Peter… he couldn’t look away. (Y/n) was staring at him dead in the eyes, like she knew he was there in the very spot where he stood. He found his hand began to shake in the slightest. He knew that the girl on the other side had no way of actually seeing him, but a small part of him felt as if she did. After all, she had found so much about who was on the other side of the wall by only watching how Tony acted before all this started.

“Peter, you ok?” Pepper asked him, her hand rubbing comforting circles on the back of his shoulder.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he nervously nodded. He didn’t think his voice would give the poor woman next to him any reassurance.

Back on the other side, Tony was seething, and (y/n) just sat back and watched him as calmly as ever. If her little speech wasn’t enough, her blunt attitude was making it worse.

“ _ You got some nerve, kid _ ,” he snarled, taking a step forward in (y/n)’s direction.

“I think you’ve made a mistake there Mr. Stark,” she told him, leaning forward in her seat as much as it would allow. Her emotionless eyes stared straight into his, unmoving in every way. Her voice was unwavering with no hint of feeling as she spoke.

“You have  _ no idea _ how much nerve I got, how much nerve I’ve  _ earned _ . I’ve trained too hard and almost died too many times to have it all be washed away because of some inexperienced child and old man in a tin- oh, I’m sorry,  _ iron _ \- can,” she told him. “The only reason you’re alive is because you saved your partner, who in turn saved you from my sword in your he-” she said, her voice stopping short as her eyes widened in realization. She clenched her fists as her heart uncomfortably clenched in her chest. Both sides of the wall watch her, speechless, as her dangerous gaze settled on the man in front of her, who had to use every ounce of self-control not to back away.

“My sword. Where is it,” (y/n) demanded, spitting her words out in a controlled but commanding manner.

A small look flickered on Tony’s eyes as the words were delivered like a miracle from Thor.  _ Thank god. We have a bargaining chip _ , he thought. His body straightened up, and a confident aura began to radiate from him.

“It’s in a secure location in this building, far away from you,” he told her, putting his hands in his pockets, leaning on one leg more than the other.

“Bring it here,” she said.

“Why should I?” he asked her, an irked temper in his words.

“It’s mine! That sword is my property. No one else should be touching it!” she exclaimed, her heart folding in on itself when her voice raised.

And she felt it again. That extra spike in her veins that made her fingers twitch, her fists just itching to throw a punch and feel that satisfying pain. But it vanished as quickly as it came, and it was gone. Once again, the emotions were locked away, but she knew that feeling.  _ Anger… _ , she told herself. Her mind drifted back to her fight with Katherine in the cafeteria, and how she was ready to string that scrawny head of blonde hair.

Her thoughts were broken when a small chuckle was heard from the raven haired man, a small but strained smile on his face as he tried to hold it back.

“Ha- I’m so-haha! Sorry! Haha, oh, haha!” Tony laughed, placing his hand on his chest so he could steady himself.

(Y/n) stared at him in bewilderment as he continued to crack up, and her (e/c) eyes flickered towards the mirror with a what-the-hell-is-he-on look on her face before looking back at Stark.

“What’s so funny?” she asked him bluntly.

“N-nothing! Ha, haaa…” Tony said, calming himself down until the only thing left from his laugh was his smile that couldn’t seem to go away. “Sorry. It’s just that the first thing that sounds somewhat relevant for your age is the ol’, “It’s my property! I own it! Give it back!”, bit!” he said, lowering his voice to add his own flair of dramatic effect to the last statement.

“Bring it here. I can’t even use it, I just want it back,” she told him.

Tony stared at her as one side of his smile curled upwards into a smirk. “Yeah right. You’d find a way since you’ve got  _ so much nerve _ ,” he said. “Well, this was fun, but I got more important things to do than deal with some teenager who clearly has her loyalties mixed. Ciao!” he called as he headed towards the door.

“Stark, Stark, get back here! ANTHONY EDWARD STARK!” she screamed as she watched him close the door.

Tony closed, cringing at the volume of her voice as she said his full name. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered as he began to walk down the large and spacious hallway of his basement interrogation floor and towards the next door down. He opened the door to the other side of the mirror, walking in. It was quiet, save for the sound the (h/c) haired girl cursing as she tried to break free of her chair.

“Tony,” Pepper said as she walked over to him, giving him a worried look. Peter followed her, standing off to the sidelines as he made sure to keep his back on the glass. Tony’s eyes flitted over to the brown haired boy off to the side before focusing on Pepper.

“How was everything on your guy’s end?”

“DAMN YOU STARK!”

“...”

“...”

The room watched as (y/n) yanked her body every which way in her seat before she gave out, screamed “fuck!” and finally stayed still, giving up. “She seems pretty pissed…” Peter said as he directed his thumb in her direction.

“We know kid, we know,” Tony said, sighing as he faced Pepper again. “Did you guys scan that sword by any chance?” he asked her.

“No, but I saw how she reacted and called Happy to do it ASAP,” she told him.

“Perfect!” he exclaimed, turning towards Peter. “Ok, things went better and quicker than expected, and your Aunt May won’t be here until at least three, right?” he asked him.

“Yeah, three to three-thirty,” Peter replied.

“Ok, then you go up and hang out with Happy,” Tony told him. "Unless you want to stay here for when she gives another try at breaking free?” he questioned, raising his eyebrows as he gave Peter a look only he could perfect.

Peter’s mouth opened and shut like a gasping fish as he looked back and forth between his mentor and his almost murderer. “Uh, n-no. I’m pretty good. I’ll go to meet Happy there. Where am I going exactly though?” he asked.

“Just get into the elevator and tell FRIDAY where you want to go. She’ll help you along the way,” Tony told him as he patted Peter on the back.

“Thanks, Mr. Stark,”

“Yeah, no problem,”

The couple watched as the young teen walked out of the room fairly quickly, making sure to softly close the door behind him. Next to Tony, Pepper sighed, rubbing the palm of her hand across half of her face. It was that the billionaire genius could see how little sleep she had gotten last night. He remembered waking up in the hospital and seeing her lying uncomfortably in two of the chairs pushed together to make a makeshift bed.  _ Note to self. Get foldable cots for the hospital _ , he told himself.

“This is just one big mess,” Pepper whispered to him.

“What do you mean? We just got something that could be important, something we can use as a bargain,” he told her, gesturing his arm out towards the glass. “Even if we don’t find anything in the scans, it seems to have value to her. I call that a win for now,” he said.

Their conversation was interrupted when one of the government workers walked up to them with a phone in their hand as if they had just gotten off of a call. “Umm, Mr. Stark?” they asked.

“Yeah?” he replied.

“I just got off the phone with Secretary Ross. He heard what happened and is coming here to deal with things,” they told him, putting the phone in their breast pocket inside their jacket.

“What? Why?” Tony asked in a confused look on his face.

“I don’t know, but he has some information that he wants to talk over with you. Oh, and Commander Rhodes is on his way as well, and will be here a bit earlier than Ross,” they said.

“Ok, thanks,” Tony said as they walked towards their coworker, and turned back to Pepper. "This is going to be  _ fun _ ,” he mumbled.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Peter leaned against the counter as he watched Mr. Stark’s scanner hover over the sword over and over again. The actual scanner would slowly look it over from top to bottom as the sword laid under it, a colored horizontal laser to point out where it was scanning over. When it reached either, it would make a couple beeps before it started scanning again with a different color laser. Happy stood next to Peter with his arms crossed, a concerned look on his face as he observed the brown curly haired boy.

“You alright?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m just wondering what the different colors are for, that’s all,” Peter told him, briefly glancing Happy’s way.

“Oh, I think I heard Tony talking about how the different colors mean it’s scanning for different things,” Happy said.

“Ok…”

“...”

“...”

“You sure that you’re ok? You seem tense,”

“ _ I'm not tense _ ,”

They both stood in silence as Peter paid attention to the whirring of the machine before sighing and turning to his friend. “I’m sorry, Happy… OK, fine, maybe I’m a little tense, but don’t tell anyone, please,” Peter begged, giving the older man a famous Parker puppy dog stare.

_ Fucking hell, it’s like it goes straight to your soul _ , Happy cursed as he gave Peter a small nod. “I won’t, but it’s not a bad thing to be tense right now. It’s perfectly understandable,” he told him.

“I know, but everyone thinks I can’t handle anything like this, and I want to prove that I can help, and deal with whatever comes at me. I can’t do that if I freak out from just being stared down on the other side of a one-way mirror, Happy,” Peter explained, turning back to watch as purple light ran across the metal weapon.

“I see. Well, don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” he told him.

“Thanks, man,” Peter said.

“But you know, if it makes you feel better,” Happy started. “I know some guys with a lot more experience than you who would have run before that girl even guessed who was behind that mirror,” Happy told him. In the small sliver of Peter’s face that he could see, a small smile started to break out on the teen’s face, and a small weight seemed to lift off of Happy’s shoulders at the sight. Happy exhaled as he watched it with him, a calm and serene atmosphere draping itself over them.

A small beeping sound ringing through the room, and the scanner turned off, the lights turning off as it powered down and went limp as it hung about the sword. Happy stood up straight with Peter following his example, walking in front of the sword.

“FRIDAY, what does that mean?” he called out.

“Scanning is complete, Mr. Hogan,” the AI said.

“What’s the conclusion?” he asked.

“The sword is composed with a few of the strongest metal on earth, making it nearly unbreakable. The materials on the handle are Egyptian cotton and Italian leather, though it’s worn down. Multiple hand and fingerprints are covering the surface as well as hydrogen peroxide and very minor traces of blood. There is the emblem of a small cross in a circle on the hilt. Underneath the wrappings are two names etched in the metal,” she said.

The two of them looked at each other, then back at the sword. Names? What kind of secret agent would be stupid enough to put their names on something like a sword they use? It had to be something else. Perhaps a code?

“What are the names, Friday?” Peter asked as he stepped closer to the sword.

“One is Adam, while the other is (y/n),”

Peter and Happy’s eyes snapped up to each other, both of them wide with the excitement of their discovery.

“Oh my god,” Happy gasped. “You know what this means?” he asked Peter.

“We have her name!” Peter exclaimed as a full grin broke out on his features, and raised a fist before pulling it back down towards his ribcage with a delighted “yes!”.

Happy lightly slapped Peter’s arms, a small smile on his face as well. “Come on, we gotta tell Tony!” Happy said as he walked backwards to the door.

“What?” Peter asked, taking a small hesitant step towards his friend. “But… What about the sword?” he asked.

“Don’t worry, it’ll be safe in there,” Happy said as he walked through the doorway, disappearing into the hall.

Peter groaned as he jogged to catch up with him, but not before he took one last look at the sword. He shivered as his Peter Tingle acted up, causing all of his hairs to stand on end. And he knew, something was going to happen. Something  _ big _ . Whether it was good or bad, he didn’t know yet, but he hoped he did soon...


	13. Chapter 12

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


All of HYDRA was on edge. Every base, hideout, lab, or storage unit called red alert and was preparing for any worst-case scenario that they could come up within the event that they became compromised. Especially (y/n)’s. At the moment, it was on the receiving end of a long list of hate mail and threats from the HYDRA HQ. And they weren't the normal threats of blowing up the whole base and torture the survivors, they were beginning to get serious…

They had threatened to unleash their most current project.

And the one receiving them was no other than the Sergeant. The old man grumbled to himself as he sipped his coffee, pacing the computer dash area that was placed a few steps higher than everywhere else in the room. Screens all across the room were flashing from images to documents, as others were showing satellite images of New York. They were doing everything to find an exact location on Agent (l/n).

“Sir,” a woman in her late twenties said as she stood in attention behind her superior.

“Yes?” he asked.

“I have some news, sir,” she told him.

“Well don’t just stand there waiting like we have all day! Spit it out!” he shouted, his voice resounding against the wall of the room, abruptly silencing the rest of the workers. “Get back to work!” he yelled, turning around to face the agent behind him, her face decorated with alarm as everyone on the slightly lower floor turned around, scrambling back to work as if nothing had happened.

“Well?!” he said.

“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. We just found the location of Agent (l/n),” he said.

“The location… Is it good news or bad news?” he asked.

“I’m afraid it’s bad news, sir. She’s in Stark-”

“Fucking hell!” he exclaimed before she could finish her sentence, shutting her up and causing a tiny bead of sweat to form on her neck. She quickly wiped it away while he wasn’t looking, not wanting to show signs of weakness in his presence. “B-but I do have good news, sir!” she quickly added. The Sergeant took a deep breath, a vein twitching in his forehead.

“It better be good,” he grumbled, holding his hands behind his back as he glared at her.

“Do you know of the current Sergeant Major of the base?” she asked him.

“Mike?”

“Yes,”

"Wait, Mike from the Christmas party, or Flasher Mike?"

"Umm, Christmas Mike,"

“Alright, go on,”

“Well, he recently had a heart attack while… participating in nightly activities,” she told him slowly as she spoke her last few words.

“Good for him. There are worse ways to die nowadays,” the Sergeant said

“Anyways… I recently received word that HQ decided to promote you to his rank tomorrow,” she told him.

The old man stood there in stunned silence as he heard the agent’s words come out of her mouth. He was going to become a Sergeant Major. And not only that but Sergeant Major of the base…  _ Damn, I just stepped up seven ranks _ , he thought. “Thank you. Anything else to report?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. What do we do about Agent (l/n)?” the woman asked him.

“Same as all the other agents who are stupid enough to get captured on their missions. Give them two days before they’re added to the new target list,” he told her darkly.

“But sir, it’s (l/n)’s first failed assignment, and she’s sixteen! Shouldn’t we send a recovering team and put her through physical disciplinary when she gets back?” the agent asked, an imploring look in her face.

The Sergeant looked back at her as she asked him that. Her whole body froze as he glared at her, the look in his eyes rendering her nerves to stop reacting as her heart completely stopped and her veins turned to ice. She watched with fearful eyes as he stepped right in front of her.

“Listen here, and listen well,” he started. “I won’t deny that Agent (l/n) is a good gun to shoot when we need to, but she failed. At the end of the day, we can always train another gun. Agent (l/n) had her chance, and I will not play the pity card just because of her age, or if it’s her first failure. If she’s not back here in two days, I will see to it that she never walks again. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we can’t afford to have any more secrets let loose, especially our current project. Now, unless you want me to send you to the academy’s stabbing classes, I suggest that you turn around and leave. You’re dismissed,” he told her.

Eyes full of terror stared wide at him, shining with tears at the mention of his threat. The agent swallowed what little spit she had in her mouth before nodding her head. “Yes, Sergent Major,” she said before walking out of mission control and passed a certain green eyed blonde with a black streak in her hair, who had just got done eavesdropping.

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(Y/n) struggled against her chair, a piece of her hair landing in front of her face. Her wrists ached from pulling against the cuffs on the arms of the chair. Her ankles were ok since she had her boots covering them, but the strain was starting to get to them. She sighed, before blowing her stray hair away from her face, only for it to fall back to its original place. (Y/n) groaned quietly as she twisted her head every direction possible before the stray piece of hair was back where it belonged.

Alright, calm down. You have at least one and a half to two days before they send someone out to assassinate you. Just break this chair, get the sword, and get back to base, she told herself.

She had sat there in silence for hours on end with nothing but her mind, voice, and breathing to fill in the quiet that was starting to slowly suffocate. She started out with trying to calm down and focus on conserving energy for when she would break out, but that didn’t last long seeing as she couldn’t feel anything, so she wasn’t nervous. Then, she decided to plan an escape route. And that also ended fairly quickly as she remembered that she didn’t know the layout of the tower, and didn’t even know exactly where she was in it. And for a fraction of a moment, she wondered if she was even going to get out. Worst case scenario, she couldn’t find a way to break out of Stark Tower, and HYDRA sent out her undertaker. Her life would end here, probably in this very room, as a prisoner. A short life full of training her for missions and she would go out as if her contribution never mattered.

Her heart flipped softly at that last thought, but it felt different. Usually, her flips were fast, and left a bit of a thump, almost like the beat of a war drum. This one wasn’t as hard, and it was slower with a lingering feeling even after the flip had passed. She could say that it even seemed to have a strange weight to it.

_ That was weird _ , she thought.  _ Never felt one like that before _ , she thought.

She passed the rest of the time in a dreamless sleep until the sound of a lock clicking caused her eyes to flash open as her head lifted just as quickly. She came face to face with a certain, and regrettably familiar, coky billionaire. No talking this time, unless it’s to intimidate him, she told herself.

“Hey, kid. Been about an hour since I last saw you. What’s up,” Tony asked with a happily sarcastic voice.

_ Damn you _ , she thought as she watched him tap his foot on the ground like he was waiting for an answer.

“Oh, right, you’ve been stuck in that chair all day. My bad,” he said as he leaned back against the wall next to the mirror. And just like that, there was the normal heart flip that (y/n) was wondering about earlier.

She stared at him, but he didn’t flinch back like before. She could see the underlining foreboding in them, but there was something else that she was missing.

“So, Let’s cut to the chase, kid...” he said slowly as he left the wall so he could look down at her as he straightened up his poster. “... Or how about, (y/n),” he said, the glint in his eyes growing just a bit brighter as he said her name.

(Y/n)’s mind broke out into a frenzy of alarms as her heart started to flip and pound in her chest, and she even swore that she heard the blood rushing through her own veins.  _ FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK- _ , her mind repeated over and over again. She felt her breath lodge itself in her throat and lungs, unable to move. Her eyes widened, and it took Tony every ounce of self-control not to smile at the tiny amount of satisfaction he felt.

“Pretty name. I think it suits you, deep, deep, deep, DEEP… down,” he said to her, her attention never leaving him. “Though, I want to know who is this, Adam, hmm?” Tony asked her, raising an eyebrow. “We didn’t touch your sword or lift the handle wrappings, we scanned it. So, don’t worry about that,” he told her as he slowly paced a short distance from the wall with the mirror to the wall behind her. Her eyes would follow him as much as she could without moving her head, falling to the floor whenever he disappeared from view and back on him again as he showed up again.

Her heart flipped as she heard that name come from Stark's voice, her eyes hardening to an emotionless gaze. Tony watched as she sat there reactionless in her chair. He needed her to say something. Once he got her to say anything, he was pretty confident that he could get her to do it again. And he had to do it before Secretary Asshole McRoss got here. As much as the man wanted to help, the raven haired man got the feeling that he would fare no better than he was.

But that was in the near future, not here and now. Right now, he was interrogating a teenage assassin who refused to talk. And as much as he was desperate for answers, he didn’t really feel like breaking child safety laws. Come on, Tony, think, he told himself. She got angry when she realized we had her sword. It didn’t have anything useful on or in it, besides her name and this Adam guy.  _ Must be family or something _ , he thought.

“You know, you’re one of the least talkative people I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting. Do you not talk much with your friends while you practice shooting or something?” he asked mockingly, his voice irritatingly playful.

Take me out of this chair and I’ll show you what I do at a gun range, the (h/c) haired girl mentally commented. Hell, we wouldn’t even have to go to a range, she added.

“Nice sword, by the way,” he commented. “When I went to the lab to check it out, it was really great craftsmanship,” he said as (Y/n) continued to watch him like a hawk.

“Although, (y/n), I do have a few little judgments I found,” he told her. He watched her hands tightened into fists.  _ Judgments? _ , she thought. Her mind flared up, and her vein warmed up as if they were about to burst into flames.

“For example, the sides of the cross-guard could have been a little evener. And the pommel was just a bit too big, but that’s my opinion, it's not as if they're important,” he said as he subtly observed her body language, beginning to pace his original path again.

_ Not important?! I knocked you unconscious with the fucking pommel! They act as a counter weight for god's sake! Unimportant my ass! _ , she bitterly thought as her hands pressed against the cuffs.

Tony noticed her eyes glued themselves to the floor, ignoring him altogether. “The rain guard and the fuller looked like they were done by an experienced but still amateur blacksmith,” he continued on, walking back in her line of sight. He could see the facial tension in her face building up. “Oh, and don’t get me started on the central ridge-”

“That sword was built by my dad, the best weapons expert in HYDRA, the mistakes you found were that of a six year old, so stop insulting his work,” (y/n) told him emotionlessly, but Tony could hear the small strain in her voice as she spoke.

Tony stood there in front of her, a bit of glee blooming inside of him as he tried his hardest to keep his face straight.  _ Finally _ , he thought as he leaned against the wall. He let silence fill the room for a moment before speaking again.

“So… Dad, huh? What about Mom?” he asked her.

“What is this, child service?” (y/n) asked him bluntly.

“Touchy subject then?” he questioned.

She stared at him, not answering.

“Are they dead?”

“No, but they got transferred when I was younger,”

“Mine are dead, so it’s ok if yours are,”

“I know. I observed the footage for training purposes,”

Tony stiffened up at the mention of the footage. Training purposes? His parents were murdered for some stupid blue stuff, and they didn’t even have the decency to keep it locked up, but showed it to a bunch of kids to learn from it? And (y/n) didn’t miss it.

“What… Touchy subject?” she asked him as she stared straight into his eyes.

Tony glared at her as she spoke those words and she shoved his hands in his pockets. Dear God, is this what it’s like to talk with me?, he wondered as he changed the subject before shit got real.

“So HYDRA has a training camp or something? What’s that like?” he asked her.

“What do you think?” she asked him.

“Hugs and kisses,” Tony sarcastically replied, causing her to roll her eyes.

“How many ar-”

“I’m not telling you, Stark,” she said emotionlessly.

Tony closed his mouth, pressing them together as he nodded his head. “Nothing? Not even your transferred parents? You said Dad is a weapon’s expert, what about Mom. Agent?” he asked, keeping voice level as he hid his desperation for answers.

But not well enough. If the constant questions didn’t give him away, she didn’t know what could. She closed her eyes and let out a long, deep sigh before she opened them again. “You know what, Stark?” she said as she leaned forward in her chair. “There is something you should know,” she told him. The glint in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed as he took a step forward, keeping his distance from her.

“What?” he asked, pulling his hands from his pockets to fold them across his chest, giving her a hard glare.

“You might as well call an executioner because unless some pretty complicated shit happens within the next two days, you’re not getting anything out of me,” (y/n) told him darkly. 

Tony's body froze as his mind registered (y/n)'s words carefully. "Two days?" He breathed. He stared at her, a shine of worry going through them. "What happens in two days?" He asked her.

Tony and (Y/n)’s eyes connected in a battle to see who would be the first one to lose. Even the small occasional noises in the room seemed to stop and stand by in suspense.

As he hatefully stared into her eyes, he noticed something off. Her eyes were blank. They still held their (e/c) color, but there was no depth. There was no glint of light, not lighter or darker spots, not even flecks of similar colors in them. Just solid (e/c). Like everything that made it real had been sucked out from it to start over from scratch. Like there was nothing behind them, no soul, no emotion, just… emptiness.

Tony’s eyes started to burn, but he refused to close them, even as his eyes watered as he couldn’t take it anymore. The last strike was cast when (y/n) blew in his direction, forcing his eyes to close, a blissfully refreshing feeling as his wounded pride started to sprout seeds of anger in him.

“What was that for?!” he exclaimed as he turned away to rub his eyes, soothing them back into a comfortable state.

(Y/n) leaned back into her original position, shrugging her shoulders. “Nothing but the fact that only an idiot waits for their turn in a war, Mr. Stark,” she told him. She stared at him victoriously as he calmed down, wiping away the moisture that spilled over from closing his eyes. At the moment, (y/n) had a sudden surge to suavely cross one leg over the other. And if it weren't for the cuffs on her feet, she would have indulged herself.

The atmosphere dissipated as a knock sounded through the room before opening. The same government agent from before leaned in, his hand on the doorknob. “Sir, sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Rhodes is here,”

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Rhodey stood alone in the lobby as the sunshine through the glass door and windows, illuminating the room. The room wasn’t anything special to look at. It had plain gray marble floors and light gray walls and ceiling, with two black couches for guests to sit at while they waited. He hadn’t been there long enough to consider it, and he didn’t want to either. It had been late when he got the call from Pepper that Tony had been put in the hospital after their engagement party was… interrupted. He hadn’t been able to go since he was still healing and getting used to his new mechanical leg braces. So, he declined, but told Tony to have fun for him, and that he’d visit soon. When he asked her what had happened, she told him to put on the news, and he turned on that TV faster than he’d been able to move in a while, surprising him. But that soon faded as he watched the chaos unfold on the news, a horrified look on his face. He booked a cab and drove straight to New York as fast as he could. And now, here he was, waiting for Tony’s arrogant ass to show up.

The calm silence was broken up as a small ding from the elevator sounded, and the doors slid apart to unveil the one and only Tony Stark inside. Rhodey didn’t miss the medical bandaging and lightly colored patches of skin from his now faded bruises. But they still held a troubling amount of color to them.

“I cannot believe you,” Rhodey said as he glared at the crazy billionaire.

Tony threw out his arms as he walked towards Rhodey, a calm look on his face. He walked at a hurried pace, eager to see a familiar face that could give him some sanity back after a grueling second round of interrogation. “Oh, come on! What did I do to you this time?” he asked. As he finally made it to Rhodey, their hands clapped together and pulled each other into a brief hug before pulling apart.

“I swear, the second I leave you for longer than a week, you get stupid enough to get yourself killed. Tell me,” Rhodey said with a drop or two of irritation on his tongue, a small chuckle emitting from him was he wets his lips. “How does someone as rich and intelligent as you, forget to hire something as simple as SECURITY!” he exclaimed.

“Me, obviously,” Tony replied with a straight face.

Rhodey shook his head, walking away from Tony and towards the elevator. “Well, come on. Senator’s on his way, and I for one, don’t want to be late. Tony groaned as he turned around on one foot, begrudgingly following the dark skinned man.

Their footsteps made a light sound as they walked inside the elevator together. Straightening up, Tony put his arms across his chest, looking up towards the ceiling of the lift. “FRIDAY, take us up to the business floor, please,” Tony spoke.

“Yes, sir,”

The elevator moved, the two men’s stomachs dropping for a half-second before returning to normal as they stood.

“You look beat up,” Rhodey told him.

“No shit, Sherlock,” Tony replied.

“I heard that Kid, Peter, was there. That true?”

“Yeah. Saved me, but we just barely made it alive. I’ve had close calls before, but this takes the cake,”

Rhodey nodded his head, and the elevator once again dinged and opened its doors. They walked into a hallway, and headed towards the closest door and walked into a meeting room that Tony had argued with Ross just days before this whole mess. Rhodey sat in the seat closest to the window as Tony took a seat next to him.

“Where is everybody? Thought they’d be here,” Rhodey stated.

“Pepper is, but I told her not to worry too much, and that I’d handle this meeting. Happy is with Peter, and they’re in the lab floors, keeping an eye on the sword,” Tony explained, making himself comfortable in his chair.

“Sword?” Rhodey said, lifting an eyebrow as the other dropped and his mouth opened slightly. “Like, the medieval weapon used by knights and stuff?” he asked.

“Yeah, the girl almost stabbed me with it,” Tony said simply.

“Girl?! What girl?” the dark skinned man asked, confusion prominent in his voice, as well as his eyes.

Tony sighed, letting his head fall back again the chair and lazily turning to look at his friend. “I forgot, the press nor media know about that…” he said, barely audible for the other man to hear. Quickly leaning up in his seat, Tony set his elbows on the table and rested on them, giving Rhodey his full and undivided attention. “Sit tight boy, it’s storytime, and you have A LOT, to catch up on!” Tony said.

“Oh dear Lord, help us all…” Rhodey muttered ruefully before Tony started talking.


	14. Chapter 13

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“-and I literally just got done interrogating her again. Now, be honest, is that what it feels like to argue with me?” Tony asked as he took a small sip of the bourbon from his glass. Rhodey sat diagonal from him, a semi-empty glass of bourbon in his hand as well. The dark skinned man held it in his hand, staring off into space as if in thought.

“Yes. That’s exactly what it’s like to even  _ talk  _ with you. I think karma has finally decided to deliver,” he said as he finished off his glass, placing it on the table and leaning back in his chair.

They had been sitting in the room for an hour now, with Rhodey painfully listening to every party of Tony’s “totally undramatic” retelling of what had happened the night before. And not even fifteen minutes in, Rhodey stopped Tony, knowing that he’d need a drink if he wanted to get through the whole story without losing his mind. Not only did Tony make some very stupid mistakes in security measures, but he still had a hard time processing the fact that there were otherworldly factors in their world know. He was getting better, with each crazy magic or scientific miracle or abomination, but it still threw him for a loop sometimes.

Rhodey sighed as Tony followed his lead, lifting the glass and drinking what alcohol was left in it and set it down at the table. Rhodey shook his head as he stared at the table. “Crazy world nowadays, huh?” he said.

“You have no idea,” Tony replied.

“I mean, first we get attacked by a rebellious god with daddy issues,”

“I almost got nuked in space,”

“Then you and banner create a wired magical human together,”

“Why do you have to explain it like that?”

“And now we have a band of good-guys-gone-bad, who ran off to become vigilantes while on the run from the government of basically the whole world,”

“I didn’t start that one, can’t blame me,”

Rhodey lightly smiled at him as they sat in comfortable silence, staring at their now empty glasses. “Since when did everything go downhill?” he asked.

“I think this whole mess started the second Mr. Stark decided to become Iron Man,” a voice spoke from the doorway.

Tony and Rhodey’s heads turned towards the direction of it to see the straightened posture of Secretary Ross. He was as sharp as ever with a black suit and his graying hair in its neatly slicked back form. A small file envelope held securely under his arm and next to his rib cage. He strode over to the table, gracefully dropping the file on its surface.

“I mean, it’s like you created a whole universe or something!” Ross exclaimed.

Tony’s head nodded slightly as a smirk grew on his face at Ross’s words. “You know what? I think that’s the greatest compliment I’ve ever been given, and it wasn’t even from someone I might listen to,” Tony said in a voice that caused Ross to silently seeth with a barely contained rage. 

Rhodey sighed as he watched the interaction. He didn’t know what else he really expected from his best friend, but this certainly wasn’t it.  _ At the very least he could take something with a serious attitude for once _ , he thought in vain. By this point in his life, he knew that not acting serious  _ was  _ Tony’s way of acting serious, in a really counterproductive way. It was a habit that took some effort to see, as well as patience that no one had time for.

“Ah, Commander Rhodes. Wonderful to see you here,” Secretary Ross said, a feeling of gratefulness that there was someone other than the cocky genius to talk to. “And, actually, your presence is just what we need,” he added.

“What for?” Rhodey asked, leaning forwards to give Ross his full attention.

“Well, I have no doubt that you came here to check on Mr. Stark after the events of his engagement party, and that’s peachy. But we did some digging to find whatever we could to help and identify the girl, and luckily, we came across a file,” Ross explained pointing at the file he had tossed on the table. Placing a hand on it, he slid it over to the two men on the other side of the table.

Tony stared at the file as he picked it up, flipping it open. It was a HYDRA file, and it showed none other than the familiar face of (y/n). Her profile picture showed her signature stoic expression, her dead eyes staring at the camera. “There’s not a lot here, is there…” he noted, his voice trailing off as he looked at the otherwise barren facts on the few sheets of paper there was.

Secretary Ross nodded, pulling a chair out and sitting down in it. “I know. She was admitted into the HYDRA’s academy when most of its agent’s personal information was all on paper. But that holds her age, abilities, specializations, and any other info that’s deemed necessary at HYDRA,” he explained.

Tony looked over the information on the page in front of him, taking it all in his mind and thinking up ways of how it could be useful the next time someone had to have a “lovely” little chat with the murderous ray of sunshine in his basement. His eyes scanned the words, committing each fact to memory as best he could in a short time.  _ Age: 16. DOB: (m-d-y). Qualifications: Magic called Requipt; knows multiple languages; multiple battle techniques, and styles; skilled with guns and swords. Kill Count: 98- _ , his mind froze as he looked at the number. 98… she only needed two more, then it would be a hundred. A sinking sensation settles itself in the pit of his stomach as he thought about it. He almost became number 99.

“Tony… You alright, man?” Rhodey asked. His voice seemed to cut through whatever the raven haired man was thinking, and his friend’s eyes fluttered as he handed Rhodey the file.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Tony told him.

“Let me guess, you saw the kill count?” Secretary Ross asked. Tony’s gazed snapping on him was all the older man needed to know that he had hit home dead on. “We think her original mission was to kill you and Ms. Potts. But you were her main objective, seeing as she could have killed your fiance with little to no problem,” he said.

“Woah, hold up,” Tony said, lifting his hands in halt position and turned in his chair to face Secretary Ross. “Why did HYDRA want Pepper dead?” he asked.

“We don’t know, but we do intend to find out when we interrogate her, rest assured,” Secretary Ross said.

“Interrogate?” Tony asked, his eyes and head turning to meet Rhodey’s in an anxious and slightly wary gaze. One look was all it took to tell that they were on the same page. They both knew that the government didn’t play any games, and they’re interrogations were unmerciful. It was true that the girl in question was an experienced sniper who seemed to wield no emotions, but she was still a teenager. “I know this may sound stupid, but… How?” Tony asked.

Ross scoffed at him. “How do you think, Mr. Stark?” he asked sarcastically, an irritated look in his eye.

“Umm- Well… Uhh…” Tony stuttered, shifting a pleading gaze towards the man next to him to help his case. His heart lifted with internal triumph as he saw Rhodey sigh, and put on, as Tony liked to call it, his scary Commander face.

“Sir, with all due respect,” Rhodey started. “Wouldn’t it be a bit extreme to do that kind of interrogation on a minor?” he asked.

They watched as Secretary Ross slowly stood up from his seat, proceeding to shortly pace back and forth in the room as if in thought. Tony and Rhodey stared at each other in silence, waiting for the older man to break the silence. He finally did after he walked over to the two other men and grabbed the file, flipping through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

“It says here that she’s trained to withstand the most inhumane forms of torture, as well as coping methods. Now gentlemen, does that sound like someone who should be given a chance to turn the tables?” He asked them. “I’m surprised that you’re even thinking this, Mr. Stark. She was ordered to kill you and your fiance. I wouldn’t be as lenient,” he said.

“I’ll consider it a compliment,” Tony said in a snarky tone, his eyes holding a dangerous gleam in them.

“This is not up for debate, Stark! It was already agreed that she is to be taken into military custody and extracted of what she knows about HYDRA, by any means necessary!” Ross yelled, his anger rising by the second. Ross stomped back to his chair, his posture straight and tense as he eyed them both.

“Listen, chief. I know full well that she was supposed to kill me. Pepper was a surprise. One that makes me angry, that shouldn’t be a secret. But I think I speak for nearly everyone on my side of things that if we can get information from her without having to go all blood and gore, then I think we would all agree to try that!” Tony exclaimed, throwing his arms out. He was on the edge of this seat, desperate to make the hard-headed Secretary of State see reason.

“I can agree wholeheartedly with Tony, sir,” Rhodey stated, rushing in to back up his friend. “And once again, with all due respect sir, don’t you wish you would have taken a similar route when you have the chance?” he asked, causing Secretary Ross’s face to contort with confusion.

“What are you talking about?” he demanded sternly.

“It may not be the exact same scenario, but you had a run-in with Banner years ago. And you had more than one chance to take a more peaceful decision, but you didn’t. And while everything turned out in the end, don’t you think it could have been better if you did choose a better option?” Rhodey asked.

The room fell into an uneasy stillness as Ross found himself unable to answer the dark skinned commander, rage cutting deeper into a line that was just ready to snap at a seconds notice. But he had to compose himself. Losing his cool wasn’t going to help himself. Collecting himself, he forced his anger down and cleared his head.

“That was a different situation. My daughter was involved, Commander Rhodes. It’s the job of a father to protect his children, no matter the cost. I wasn’t going to risk my daughter’s life on the chance of an enraged radiation green man who had little chance of calming down,” he told them. “I’m not saying it’s right, far from it. But look at the damage that HYDRA has caused, not only in the resent, but the past. And now we have reports of people like Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and whatever they call the kid strapped in a chair below us in their ranks. If she’s willing to commit the crimes of an adult, then she should expect to answer as an adult, despite being a minor. 98 people, don’t forget that number,” he reminded the two men on the opposite side of the room.

“While I don’t disagree with what you’re saying, sir, there has to be another way,” Rhodey insisted.

“Ditto on that,” Tony said.

Secretary Ross sighed, looking back to (y/n)’s profile. While looking at it didn’t change how he felt, a small optimistic voice in his head told him that there was always a small chance while the larger and smarter part of him said that it was unlikely. In his line of work, people rarely changed whether they were given the chance or not. The child assassin has already killed more people in sixteen years than some of the government's best in nearly half their lives. And she was raised to kill and didn’t know any other way of life. This wasn’t exactly a very hopeful case, but…

“Then what do you suggest I do? Hmm?” he asked them, causing Tony and Rhodey’s eyes to widen at his inquiry.

“What?” they asked simultaneously.

“What do you intend to do if you don’t think being taken into military custody is the best choice?” Ross asked again, staring blankly at the shocked looks on their faces. “Umm… I kinda need an answer,” he said.

As if Secretary Ross had lifted some sort of spell of them Tony shook his head, focusing back on the task at hand. 

“Oh, well-umm…”

“You mean to tell me that you vouched for life when you don’t have an alternative?”

“He makes it up as he goes, sir,”

“Strings you along half the time?”

“You have no idea,”

“I’M LITERALLY RIGHT HERE, GUYS!”

Tony looked back and forth between the two of them, a dumbfounded look on his face as he did.  _ And they say I need to have better timing _ , he thought.  _ No, stop it. Think Tony, think… _ , he told himself. He had to figure out something, and quickly.

“Redemption,” he blurted out before his brain could even process it. They just completely bypassed his mind before tumbling out his tongue. But whatever happened, whatever he said, it was too late to take it back or recover from it.

“Redemption?” Ross asked skeptically, making Tony mentally cringe at the tone of it.

“Yeah,” he said hastily.

Rhodey leaned in, lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. “What the hell, man?!” he asked.

“I don’t know, it came out before I could even think it!” Tony whispered back. Rhodey rolled his eyes and leaned back to his seat. 

“Hmm. And how would this work?” Ross asked.

“Well…” Tony said nervously, wracking his brain for answers. “We’ve done it before, with Wanda, and Quicksilver,” he said hesitantly.

Rhodey looked at Tony, and the painful attempt he was making, on the verge of pure desperation. As Tony’s best and longest friend, he can say that there were very few times Tony had ever genuinely had trouble winning an argument. But he’s never seen him do so in such a frantic manner. Not only was it a painful attempt, but it was also painful to watch. “I think what he’s trying to say is that if HYDRA’s first two magical agents could be swayed so easily after they were practically raised by them as well, then what are the odds that we can do the same thing. Think about what we could learn from her,” he said, giving his friend a place to pick up from.

It was as if the heavens had parted and sent a sensible angel to help the suffering genius. A sudden wave of gratitude washed over Tony as he was able to form a coherent thought. “H-he’s right. We could learn HYDRA secrets that haven’t ever been known to outsiders. How they  _ fight _ , how they  _ think _ ,” he said, tapping his temple with his index finger. “Not to mention, I could figure out how her powers work,” he added.

“And if you’re wrong?” the Secretary of State asked them. “You could barely stop her the first time, and that kid electrified her on a stroke of luck. Forgive my pun, but lightning rarely strikes twice,” he pointed out.

“We’ll train him. We’ll up security, make sure that if we need too, we can stop her,” Tony said, practically pleading.

“Then you can take her into custody,” Rhodey said, causing Tony to swerve in his chair to look at him.

Ross nodded his head, contemplating what the two men were telling him. It was a good deal, he’ll admit. The beginning was sketchy, but their arguments made sense.

“Well?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Fine. You have seven months. That’s until May, next year. You better hope this works gentlemen,”


	15. Chapter 14

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“What did you agree to?” Pepper asked, her voice low and threatening to match the glare she was throwing at her fiance.

“I already told you. Me and Rhodey-”

“Not me, I had no idea what this man was thinking,”

“I decided that we should try, you know, steering a wayward child towards a brighter future?”

Pepper sighed, dropping herself into the chair. Pepper, Tony, Rhodey, and Happy were all in the meeting room that Secretary Ross had left little over twenty minutes ago. Tony had filled the other two people in the room on what happened, and there were… mixed reactions to say the least.

“I don’t disagree with that, even though she’s trained to kill people, and  _ we’re _ ,” Pepper said, waving her finger back and forth between her and Tony. “The people she was sent to kill! I don’t hate this, this… redemption idea, think it’s great,” she said. But there was a sense of something unsaid in her voice.

“I’m sensing a  _ but _ , somewhere in that sentence,” Tony said.

Pepper sighed, the simple action border lining an annoyed groan, but continued nonetheless. “But… Have you thought this out at all?” she asked him, her blue eyes communicating all the worry in her mind.

All eyes landed on Tony, their gazes eagerly awaiting an answer. Tony’s mouth opened and closed, practically gasping for any words that could tumble out of his mouth. “Yes, I have,” he said, an air of fake reassurance and confidence in his voice as he pieced together a reply.

“Then where is she going to stay?” Pepper asked. She stared at Tony, and he noticed the challenging gleam in her eyes making him more determined, and stubbornly unable to back down.

“Here,”

“Where? She can’t stay in a chair for seven months. And what about food? She tried to break out the last time we gave her food. What about hygiene? Oh, and she’s a  _ girl _ , she has "stuff" to do once a mon-”

“Ok! I got it!” Tony exclaimed, holding his hands out in front of him and shaking them rapidly. “We have some kinks to work out here,” he said.

Happy scoffed at the billionaire’s statement, a small smile playing on his face. “That’s an understatement,” he said.

“I thought you were supposed to be on my side?” Tony asked, swerving in his chair to face him.

“Well, realistically, who do you think is going to have to watch her? I mean, I already have to keep an eye on an ambitious teen with good intentions and that’s hard enough. I don’t need another one with bad intentions instead,” Happy explained.

“I know I already agreed with you, Tony,” Rhodey spoke up from his seat, kneading his hands together and resting them on the table as he faced Stark. “But everyone has a point. I love the plan, but it’s easier said than done in the real world. This might be the one thing that you can’t do,” Rhodey said.

Those words echoed in Tony’s head. He believed than anything was possible with enough effort, and so far he’d proven those words to be true. Looking back on his life so far, nothing has ever stopped him. He wanted to make a giant pure energy generator, he made it. Make a powerful metal suit that can fly and shoot laser beams like Star Wars?  _ Built in a day and a half _ . Become a superhero and save the world a few times? Been there done that. But help people… He was still working on that. He knew that it’s never be finished, but that only drove him to try harder to achieve it. And nothing was going to stand in his way.

The raven haired genius stared at the strawberry blonde women across from him, their eyes connecting with the others in a locked gaze. Neither made an attempt to look away. “Hey, guys? Can I talk with Pepper alone for a second?” he asked, breaking eye contact to look at Rhodey and Happy.

“Sure,” Rhodey said, lifting himself out of this chair. He took a second to steady himself before walking towards the door.

Tony watched as Happy opened the door, allowing Rhodey to walk out first. “Oh, Happy,” he called.

“Yeah?” the other man replied.

“Take some food down to Sunshine in the basement. You know, since you’ll be watching her so much,” Tony said, his last few words having a jokingly truthful ring to them. Happy silently groaned as he walked out the door, muttering slight curses in Tony’s name. “Please and thank you!” Tony exclaimed.

"Shut it!" Happy yelled as he walked down the hall, the door slowly sliding behind him.

The door closed and Pepper once again looked at Tony, gainings complete attention. “Well?” she asked.

Tony got up from his chair and walked over to the other side where she sat and pulled out the chair next to her, turning it till it faced her direction. Pepper did the same, resting her arm on the table and the other on her lap as Tony forwards in his chair on the edge of his seat.

“Look, I know stuff has been stressful-”

“It’s been more than stressful,”

“Understood. But I can’t help but feel as if it’s something that I need to do,”

Pepper scoffed, shaking her head and folding her arms across her chest. “I know, Tony. And I don’t want to stop you, because it’s a great thing,” she told him. “But I don’t know if it’s possible,” she said.

“You know better than anyone that those kind words only make me want to do it even more. I’ve only felt like this a few times in my life, and all of them have to lead to great things. Starting my company, becoming Iron Man, asking you on a date, and now. Call it a gut feeling. She was going to be taken in by the  _ government _ , Pepper. I couldn’t just do nothing,” he said, his voice soft but firm as he told her. His words were genuine as he talked, making sure to maintain eye contact with Pepper, to try and convey the weight and meaning behind them.

Pepper stared at him, her eyebrows curving upwards. Her heart beat just a little bit heavier at his words, and a small smile made its way to her face. Tony watched as she scooched over to the end of her seat, his body taken over by the slight nervousness that appeared within him. But as Pepper wrapped her arms around him, she calmed down, moving to return the action. He exhaled a long breath, relaxing into the hug.

“I didn’t know what you were going to do, but this is nice,” he said.

“I just don’t want things to go downhill because of this. I want to have a life with you,” she said.

“Me too. I wouldn’t risk that for the world. But I know I can help someone here,” he said.

Pepper smiled and let out a short and breathy chuckle. “I know. And that’s part of why I love you,” she said.

And there they sat in each other’s arms, the warm sunlight filtering through the window as the stress seemed to slowly start to fade away.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Tonight was her last chance before she’d be put on HYDRA’s kill list, and (y/n) still had no way to get out of her damn chair. She already ruled out brute strength and tried summoning different armors and weapons. Some armors would be too bulky and didn’t let her move, or they only made her situation worse by causing the people behind the mirror to rush in with tasers. They all resulted in failure, and she even lost a gun due to dropping it when she tried to shoot her meal giver. A man named Happy, or something. As a result, she had her first taken away before it was brought back a few hours later. And to further the punishment, she had to be fed like a one-year-old by having him feed it to her. It was no more humiliating, miserable, and awkward for her, than it was for him.

That was two days ago. And she had no choice but to sit still and do what they told her, “behaving” herself. It was all she had left, she lay low and strike when someone had their guard down. Sure, it wasn’t likely, but it was her last option.

_ This is ridiculous. When I get back, this will be held over my head for the rest of my fucking life _ , she thought, twisting her wrists in a feeble attempt to soothe the chafing feeling of her skin against the restraints.  _ Let’s face it. At this point, it’s  _ if _ I make it back _ , she corrected herself.

For the hundredth time since she’s been there, she sighed, allowing her head to rest against the headrest of the chair. Every second in the chair made her restlessness grow with no way to get rid of it. She could feel her muscles practically begging her to do anything, even having a good stretch would be good enough to get rid of the physical ache.

A small knock suddenly resounded through the room, catching (y/n)’s attention. She watched with emotionless and empty eyes as Happy walked in. Her eyes took note of the plate of toast in his hand, melted butter spread all over the warm golden bread, shining in the light of the room. It had been the same meal she’d been having to eat for the past two days, but she didn’t mind nor care.  _ Still a hell of a lot better than the rations _ , she reminded herself.

“Hello again,” Happy said as she walked behind her, pulling one of the carts that used to hold her heart monitor in front of her. He placed the plate on the cart, once again walking behind her to grab a wheeled stool for him to use. “Still chatty as ever I see,” he muttered.

(Y/n) said nothing as she frowned at him, eyes dark and threatening.

“It’s your favorite. Toast… again,” he said, taking the toast and breaking them up into smaller pieces. His heart felt as if it had dropped into his stomach as he did, already dreading the extreme awkwardness of it all.

(Y/n) glared at him as he lifted the piece of bread to her face. She felt as if the chair was twisting her bones, making it impossible to find a comfortable sitting position. Her heart flipped as she turned her head and her face scrunched up.

Happy sighed setting the piece back down on the plate. His face wasn’t that different from hers. (Y/n) could see the clear disdain of the situation on his face. And if it wasn’t for the damn chemical in her blood, she knew for a fact she would have been feeling it too.

_ They could have chosen literally any method and I’d prefer it more than this. I can’t tell if it’s Stark’s genius idea or just plain coincidence _ , (y/n) thought as she kept her eyes closed.

_ If I knew this was how I was going to spend my time I wouldn’t have accepted that job _ , Happy thought ruefully. “I can’t do this anymore,” he muttered.

“Me neither,” (y/n) quietly groaned, still refusing to open her eyes or even turn her head.

Happy’s mind didn’t seem to register that this was the first time she had spoken in front of her, his mind still reeling at the fact that this was his life right now. He went from assisting and protecting Tony, to dealing with hard-headed children and, apparently, force feeding them now. With that last thought, something small in Happy snapped. Not in an explosive way, but more so in a realization sort of way. Happy rubbed his temples, two sides of himself battling over his better judgment and self-control.

At the unusual sound of silence, (y/n) dared to open her eyes, just barely. When she saw that Happy was doing nothing, they opened more. She watched as his eye twitched, and the way he was glaring at the toast as if this whole ordeal was it’s thought. His foot was rapidly tapping against the floor, the light sound echoing in the room. And then he placed his hands on his pockets, allowing (y/n)’s attention to latch onto the outline of a small bump in his left pocket. Her entire being froze her body and soul in place as one.

_ The remote _ , she thought. The image of Tony pulling out a small remote and pushing a button flashed through her mind, making her wrists involuntarily twist the cuffs. She could finally escape! But a lot was riding on this, and she had to play it cool, and not lose her head.

(Y/n) calmly breathed as she turned her head back, leaning on the headrest. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take. You guys might as well starve me,” she said flatly.

“I’m not that far from agreeing,” Happy mumbled to himself.

“Might as well… This is only the beginning,” she told him.

Happy’s hand grasped at the space between his hand in the fabric of his pants. She could see the conflict growing on his face with every word she said, and she could practically taste her freedom already.  _ You can do it. Just a few more words _ , she told herself.

“I think it’s stupid, especially since I can feed myself. You know?” she said.

Happy’s eyes turned to meet her own, finally registering the meaning behind her words, also registering that this was the first conversation she ever had with him. Immediately his mind went on high alert at that thought, moving his hand away from the remote and instead rested it on his knee.

He wasn’t stupid, he’d read her file before coming down into the room the first day, along with hearing a first-person account of what the girl sitting in front of him was capable of. She was a person who was trained to kill to accomplish her goals or die trying. And now all of a sudden she starts talking. If that wasn’t something to be suspicious of, he didn’t know what was.

Happy sighed, a serious grimace on his face. “How do I know you won’t do something underhanded?” he asked her, his eyes staring hard and stern as he spoke.

She didn’t reply at first, but he could tell she had an answer in her mind as she was making and breaking it to fit her situation. Finally, she planted a fake smile on her face, her voice void of any sort of feeling or intention.

“You don’t. But what you  _ do  _ know is that I’m strapped to a chair with little chance of breaking out, and with government officials behind that mirror. I’d say your chances are more than fair,” she explained, glancing up at the mirror briefly before looking at him again.

_ She doesn’t know they’re gone? _ , he inquired to himself. She had to know that they were gone… Right? After the deal with Secretary Ross was dealt with, he, along with the rest of the government workers, left the building and went back to… wherever it was that they were before. Happy didn’t know, and he didn’t want to. But they were gone. Was she just acting on the safe side and assuming they were still there? Not many people have been in the room, except for him and Tony, and she hadn’t seen anyone from the government walk into the room. Did they really act as a big threat to her or did she think she could take them?

He sighed, standing up from his chair looking at the deadly HYDRA agent in front of him.  _ I’m really gonna regret this. I can feel it in my knees _ , he thought.

(Y/n) watched as he reached his hand down into his pocket before pulling it out, pointing it at her. His thumb rested on a button, and he glared at her, his voice low as he talked.

“You try anything, you won’t even have the liberty to so much as breathe without having a red dot on your head. Got that?” he asked.

(Y/n) sighed, but nodded her head regardless. Happy gave a stiff nod before he cautiously walked towards her, anxiously anticipating for her to do something underhanded. But as he crept closer, she stayed still. Finally, he stood next to her on her left and placed the remote at the outside base of the cuff. (Y/n) watched as he pressed the button, a beeping sound resounding from it as the cuff folded back into the chair. As soon he was there, Happy pulled back from her as if she was a blazing fire whose only intent was to burn everything to ashes.

(Y/n) raised her hand, a bone chilling series of joints and bones popping at the long awaited feeling of freedom. She twisted it every which way, moving her arm as she silently revelled in the feeling of her muscles getting a chance to move. She pressed her knuckles down on the arm of the chair, a cracking sound making Happy wince.

“Ok! You made your point! Stop doing that and eat,” he ordered her, a disgusted shiver running up his ears registered the disturbing sound. He watched with wary eyes as she eventually set her eyes on the toast, and reached out her hand, and…

She ate it.

That’s it. That was all she was doing, eating. No guns, knives waving, or anything else she could do that was deadly. She just sat there eating her toast one bite at a time.  _ This isn’t so bad… Yet _ , he thought. The feeling in his gut wouldn’t go away, and regret flooded over the feeling, adding to it as his mind started to chastise him for this. Something was up. And when it happened, he’d have no one to blame but himself.

Things continued like that for a few more minutes, with (y/n) sitting there peacefully eating her meal as Happy was about to have an internal nervous breakdown. They didn’t talk, and the room was fairly silent. It should have calmed him down, but the uneasiness he felt seemed to increase tenfold.

“I’m done,” she told him, making him jump the tiniest bit. Her voice was flat as she wiped the crumbs from her mouth with her palm. “But before you cuff me, let me ask you something,” she said.

Happy’s body tensed as she talked, not liking where this was going.  _ Great, it’s the gun incident all over again _ , he thought worriedly. “What is it?” he reluctantly replied.

“Where the hell am I? Stark tower?” she asked.

Happy internally breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, in the basement. Also known as one of the most fortified places in the whole building,” he told her, walking towards her left side again to cuff her.

“So I’m in, like, 200 Park Avenue, right?” she asked him, his face scrunching up in thought as she placed her arm on the arm of her chair.

Happy looked up at the ceiling as he placed the remote next to the cuff and pressed the button. “I think so… Yeah, 200 Park Avenue,” he said, turning and making a B-line towards the door. “Bye,” he called as he opened and closed the door.

He closed the door behind him, sighing as he walked down the hallway. His heavy footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as he reached the elevator. “Take me to Tony please,” he called. “Right away,” FRIDAY answered, the elevator softly jerking upwards as she did. He made it. He was still alive. If only the feeling in his stomach would go away.

Meanwhile, alone in the room, (y/n) sighed as she pulled her arm up from the chair. Her heart gave a quick and light flip at the sight of the empty cuff on the chair, the metal shining dully in the light. She couldn’t believe that her plan had actually worked. Half of her was stunned that he was stupid enough not to notice that she had pulled her hand out of the way at the last second, while the other side was just as thankful.

_ I don’t have time to be thankful. It’s now or never _ , she thought. In a small flash of light, (y/n) summoned a handgun and fired a couple of rounds straight at the mirror, making sure to spread her bullets out. The loud sound echoed through the room, and no doubt throughout the hallway as well. 

Against the force of the bullets, the glass shattered, hitting the ground like a thousand drops of rain. And she stared in amazement as the other side of the glass was dark, void of any living thing. She found herself freezing at the empty room, her mind filled with questions.  _ Where are the government workers? Did they leave? Are they on break? Are they just outside the door? No, if they were outside the door they would have run in _ , she thought frantically, her mind pulling her through a million different questions, creating a possible solution to each one. She shook her head violently, forcing her crowded brain to become clear enough to think. 

_ Focus! It doesn’t matter if they’re here or not, you can deal with them as you go. Just concentrate on getting out _ , she told herself.

With her goal mind, (y/n) took in a deep breath before letting it out. Her gun disappeared from her hand, the light in her hand growing and taking a longer shape until a sword sat comfortably in her hand.

_ Flame sword _ , she thought as she looked down at it.

It radiated an intense heat that others would back away from, but she held tightly, feeling nothing more than a cozy warmth from it. The blade was a sleek black color, decorated with a golden bronze metal as curved orange lines glowed throughout the blade, resembling rivers of lava that flowed from a volcano.

Her head snapped towards her other hand that was still cuffed. She carefully lifted her sword before resting the blade of it against the metal of the cuff, hastily but carefully cutting through it, watching as it slowly slid through like a knife cutting butter. She watched as he was just barely a hair away from cutting through before pulling the sword away and stabbing it into the floor in front of her feat. 

She ignored the sound and smell of the floor burning before she reached over and grabbed the area of her forearm just before the cuff. Gathering all her strength, (y/n) pulled on it with all her might, her restrained arm pushing against the metal as well. Her arms shook from the force, her arms straining from the stress of fighting against the metal. But then she heard the relieving sound of the metal snapping apart, and her arm flew from the chair. The two broken bits of metal clattered against the floor as (y/n) nearly hit herself in the face with her fist and arm.

“Finally,” she murmured softly as she massaged her wrist, her eyes moving to her ankles, narrowing at the cuffs holding them down.

She made quick work of them as she did with her wrist, and found herself stretching her whole body in front of the cursed chair within moments. Her body shook as her back arched and her arms and legs contracted, and another series of cracks and popping sounds came from them.

_ Shit, I gotta get out of here _ , she thought, suddenly remembering the reason for her break out. She pulled her sword out of the floor, holding it tightly in her hands as she slid up against the door.

“Might as well,” she whispered. Backing up, she ran at the door as fast as she could, and slashed at the door.

(Y/n) closed her eyes as her nose was filled with the smell of smoke, and a powerful explosion flooded her ears. Her body flew forwards without any problem and she quickly opened her eyes, a wall flying towards her. She threw out her foot as it slammed against the wall, the other skidding against the floor. (Y/n)’s sword disappeared from her hands as she turned her head to look around. The hallway continued on either side of her, and she had no idea where to go.

_ Now what? _ , she thought.

Before she could continue that train of thought, a red light danced across her vision, followed by a loud buzzer noise.

_ For fuck’s sake _ , she internally cursed. Her head snapped in between her left and her right, her brain trying to decide which way to run. As she turned to the right, her eyes caught the undeniable gleam of elevator doors, and she wished her heart could soar. She ran down the hall, furiously pressing the elevator doors. They eventually opened, and she hurried inside, looking wildly around.

“Where are the damn buttons?!” she asked herself, the doors closing in front of her.

“No buttons are needed, miss,”

(Y/n)’s body jumped at the sudden womanly voice. Her body instinctively took a steady stance and a gun formed in her hands. She held it in front of her, pointing it around the elevator as her eyes darted around, searching for the source of the voice. “Who’s there!” she exclaimed.

“I am FRIDAY, Mr. Stark’s personal AI system,” the voice explained. “I run the building, as well as the elevator. Where would you like to go?” she asked.

(Y/n) looked up at the ceiling to see a small speaker next to a ceiling light. She glared at the speaker, her arms lowering down with her gun still in her hands. “Take me to the ground level floor,” she said.

She tensed as she felt the elevator start to rise, her grip in the handle of her handgun tightening slightly, half expecting something to jump out from nowhere. The lift was silent as it moved upwards, except for muffled mechanical sounds from beyond the four walls.

And then it stopped with a jerking halt, causing the (h/c) haired girl to once again glare at the speaker.

“What happened? Why aren’t you moving?” she asked.

“I’m sorry, but you are stuck in between floors on Mr. Stark’s behalf. You will remain here until further notice,” FRIDAY said.

“In between floors? What floors?! FRIDAY?” (y/n) asked, her voice rising with each unanswered question. She waited in vain as no reply came, and she sighed her gun disappearing. She had to get out of here. She was so close, she could practically taste freedom. There had to be a way out.

“A way out…” she whispered to no one in particular. (Y/n) paced the perimeter of the elevator. She repeated that phrase over and over as her thoughts ran rapid, coming up with an idea to escape. But as each idea came up, she’d reject it due to the questionable probability that it would actually work. As each idea was thrown out of her head she’d unintentionally increase her pace. “-eA way out, a way out, I just need a way out of here,” she said calmly to herself, her heart flipping like crazy inside her chest. She reached the wall, her back resting against it as her body slid to the floor.

She tilted her upwards and stared at the ceiling, her mind drawn blank. Was this really the best she could do? She couldn’t believe that she was barely able to last three minutes out of that stupid chair when she wasn’t even a whole floor away from getting away. And now… she was going to die within days.

_ Too bad I can’t slice my way out _ , she thought. Her mind seemed to focus on that thought. “Huh… slice my way out…” she muttered to herself. Her eyes seemed to travel to the ceiling, somehow unable to look away from nothing in particular. Then, it was if she was hit over the head with a stick, it struck her.

“Wait a minute...”

“…”

“…”

“ _ Oh, yeah. it’s all coming together, _ ” she said, standing up as her flame sword appeared in her hand.


	16. Chapter 15

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Peter, be careful,” Ned said nervously as he watched his friend quickly mix various ingredients into the beaker. Peter scoffed at him, his brow raising as he smiled at him.

“Come on, man. Do you know how many times I’ve done this?” he asked cockily. He continued to add the final ingredient before pulling out a stirring stick and glancing at the door. “Ned, can you keep an eye out? I don’t think Mr. Cobwell will be out for much longer,” he told Ned as he quickly began to stir the mixture. His back was to the rest of the class, trying his best to hide what he was doing. He had to admit, it was nice to have someone to watch his back while he made his web fluid and not to worry about being caught.

“On it,” Ned said, his eyes focused on the door.

Peter stared at the beaker intently as it started to change from clear to a pale yellow, slowly becoming thicker to stir through. “Come on, come on, come on…” he muttered as he watched, patiently waiting for the reaction he needed.

Ned watched in fascination as he began to see little specks of white form on the surface. But his fatination was cut by the sound of a door opening, causing his head to turn.

“Shit, Peter! Hurry up!” he whispered frantically, tapping his friend on the shoulder simultaneously.

“He’s here?!” Peter said, briefly glancing towards the teacher’s direction to see him walk back towards his desk. Turning back to the beaker in his hands, he saw little bits of spindly webs form from the foam rapidly. “Finally,” he said.

“Quick, put it away!” Ned said hastily to Peter as he watched Mr. Cobwell casually stroll through the class, looking at the work of his students.

“Nice job, M.J.,” he said as he passed the blunt teen as she wrote down her notes. She didn’t spare her teacher a glance, but she nodded her head, humming her proof of acknowledgment.

Peter hurried up and placed the beaker down into an open drawer at Ned’s knees, just barely able to push it closed as Mr. Cobwell came up to them.

“You boys doing ok? Nothing confusing you two?” he asked, genuine friendly concern on his face.

Ned and Peter both nodded their heads a bit too eagerly. “Yup, we’re doing just fine,” Ned assured, his voice steady but forcefully strained.

“Alright, then. Just let me know if you need anything,” Mr. Cobwell said, walking away. He continued to walk around the room, checking up on different pairs and looking over their work so far. Ned and Peter watched as he got farther and farther away from them, only letting themselves breathe again when he sat at his desk and typing away at his computer. 

“That was close, man,” Peter said, glancing around before opening the drawer again, looking down at his brand new batch of web fluid.

“Yeah, no kidding,” Nedd agreed, grabbing their worksheets. “I’m glad we finished it early though. Is this why you were always so eager to get done in this class?” he asked Peter.

“Yeah, most of the time,” Peter said as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a few vials and uncapped them. He proceeded to carefully take the beaker and fill the vials with his web fluid and then capping them back up as tightly as he could, and put them safely inside his backpack. And when he finished one, he’d do it again.

“So, before you started making your webby stuff, we were talking about… what happened at Stark Tower…” Ned said.

Peter’s hands fumbled, causing the web fluid almost dripping out as he slowly poured it. “I told you. It was an eventful day,” Peter growled as he continued his work.

“Did that chick you fought do anything? Oh god, she didn’t try to kill you, did she?” Ned asked him, concern swimming through his voice as much as his eyes.

Peter picked up the last vial, his hands freezing in their place. If he focused on that memory, he could still feel her eyes staring through that pane of glass, like she knew he was there. He wouldn’t be surprised if she actually did. And then there was his Peter Tingle. It was never wrong, and it’d flare up like a bad allergy whenever he’d walk near her.

“Yeah, but I managed to take her down, just barely. She almost Killed Mr. Stark though. And then when we brought he tried to ask her some stuff, she turned it around and knew who was watching,” he told Ned as he capped it. The web fluid was filled to the brim, their light cream color offhandedly reminding him of a watered-down cream soda. Looking at the empty beaker, he placed it back down in the drawer and pushed it closed.

Ned nodded as he listened to Peter’s brief retelling, his inner fanboy nerd craving all the details of the battle that the brown haired boy had experienced. But he knew that some battles were harder for him to talk about, and he remembered that as he heard Peter talk about Mr. Stark.

“That’s rough, man. You ok?” Ned asked him, leaning on the edge of the lab counter.

Peter exhaled as his eyes met Ned’s, and leaned against the counter as well. “Yeah, I’ve had closer calls… But I still would like to avoid her,” he said.

The chemistry lab’s quiet chatter was cut apart as a loud ringing echoed through the room, everyone’s attention focused on Mr. Conwell’s desk. The man in question turned away from his computer, moving to pick up the black inline phone on his desk and placing it next to his ear.

“Cowbell speaking. I’m doing fine, and you?” he spoke into the phone. “That’s great. What do you need?” he asked. He nodded his head, and his eyes moved up, searching the classroom for the person mentioned. His search ended when his gaze landed on Peter, and a small feeling of happiness exploded at the prospect of possibly leaving class. 

“Alright, I’ll tell him. Bye,” Cobwell said before placing the phone down and fully facing Peter. “Parker, you’re going home. Your aunt is on her way. Get outta here,” he said, turning his attention back to the computer.

A full smile split onto Peter’s face as he picked up his backpack and his books without any hesitation. “See you later, Ned,” he told him gleefully. But everyone could hear the small undeniable message in his words whispering, “see ya later suckers, I’m outta jail!”, in their ears. And, as he walked out, he could feel the jealous scowls from numerous classmates, except for Ned, who chose to wave bye.

Peter walked to the door without looking back and started to make his way through the halls as he made his way to the office. The small walk was quiet enough as he made it to the office where he sat in their chairs, waiting for Aunt May to show up. But he wasn’t waiting long when the bubbly women rushed into the room like she was a chicken with her head cut off.

“Peter, get in the car, you go to got- got to go!” she said hastily, her words botching around as she talked. His Peter Tingle spiked up as he heard her words fumble. It was the worst sign that something was wrong.

“U-um, Aunt May, what happened?” he asked her, a small nervous laugh finding its way into his voice.

“Family emergency,” May said bluntly, shortly smiling at the office lady before walking out of the school and to a car out in the front.

His eyes widened in realization as he recognized the sleek black paint of it, as well the driver sitting in the driver’s seat. “W-what’s Happy doing here?” he stuttered, turning his head to face Aunt May.

She pushed him towards the car, reaching for the door handle and pulling it open. “You have hero stuff,” he told him, pushing him inside as she slid in next to him.

“What?!” Peter exclaimed as his eyes on the verge of bulging out of his head. “Now?! Like, now?!” he asked her, bewilderment in his voice. He stared in her eyes and looked for anything that might hint towards all this being a prank or a false alarm. But it felt too real. He knew Aunt May was skeptical about his hero job. Albeit, she still worried more than she needed, but that was just her personality.

“Yes, now. Happy is going to drop me off at home, and explain everything that’s happened so far,” she told him.

“That’s g-great! When do I start?” Peter asked.

“Right after I give you an update on the situation, kid,” Happy chirped in from the front seat.

Everything seemed to go by fast as Happy pulled out from the school, driving through town and dropping off May at their apartment building. Before Peter could so much as say a word, Happy drove off, telling Peter to change into his suit as he drove. They needed a low profile area where he could let Spider-Man out of the car.

And so, Happy started to tell Peter how (y/n) had escaped. Telling how she had melted her way out of the chair, blew down the door, and sliced her way through the elevator’s ceiling-

“Wait a minute. She what?” the curly haired boy asked, raising a brow at Happy.

Happy groaned as his eyes traveled from the road to his surroundings. They still needed a place where Peter could get out in his suit without either of them being seen. But it was hard to find one in the middle of Queens. 

“She slashed the ceiling. Cut a hole right through it and climbed her way up the elevator shaft. Practically destroyed the doors to the lobby,” he said.

“Ok, got it. But… Why do you need my help? Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you guys want my help, but why?” Peter asked. He was now fully dressed in his suit, aside from his head mask which was held in the grip of his hands as he sat on the edge of the seat leaning forwards. 

Happy, for obvious reasons, was looking away from Peter in the front seat. And all he could see the back of his head. If he sat right, he could look at Happy’s eyes in the rearview mirror. But other than that, all he had was Happy’s voice.

“Because she seems to be heading through Queens. We’ve been trying to track her all day so far. Best we could get was a blurry face shot, and that’s with all of Tony’s best surveillance working on it. But we think she might be trying to reach the East River,” Happy told him. He risked a second in the rearview mirror, they’re eyes briefly connecting for a second before Happy tore them away. He sighed as he came to a red light, and quickly turned to face Peter.

“Look, despite what you may think, we all know what you’re capable of. Tony seems convinced that you can handle her, for whatever reason. You know Queens better than probably anyone else, and can get around because of it,” Happy said, turning back just in time as the red light changed to green, and he started to drive. His eyes scanned the road, and he finally found a small saving grace.

“Perfect! A parking garage,” he muttered excitedly to himself. The last moments were spent in silence as Happy drove up floor after floor until he came up to the most deservest floor so far. “Ok, get out. Mask on,” he ordered, and Peter did as he said.

Pulling on his mask, Peter opened the door, stepping out. When Happy picked a floor, he picked a floor as well as a parking spot. They were on the opposite end of the floor by themselves and away from a small group of five cars. They were all empty, and not a single person was in sight.

“Ok, so you want me to just swing around and look for her?” Peter asked as one of his mask’s eyes grew while the other shrank.

“No, you idiot. We’ll send updates on sightings to your AI- Yes, we know she’s activated- and let you take it from there. If you find her, tail her and wait for back up if you can. If combat is needed, do it away from people if you can. We don’t need another ferry incident,” Happy told him.

Peter’s eyes balanced out and sloped downwards as his shoulders slumped at the mention of one of his biggest mission flops(so far). “Alright, I get it,” he told Happy as he started to walk towards the edge of the floor.  _ If she’s trying to get away and came from Stark Tower, she might be heading towards the East River or Flushing Bay. Either that or she’s just going straight through by Hempstead _ , he reasoned. His mind started to fill with different ways she might be heading with every step closer to the end of the floor.

“Hey, do everyone a favor and try not to get killed. May is scarier than she looks,” Happy called out as he watched the red and blue hero step onto the concrete ledge.

Peter smiled underneath his head mask as he looked back at his friend. “Don’t worry, I won’t. And I’ll finder her too,” Peter said as he leaped off the building, starting his search for (y/n).

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

(Y/n)’s eyes traveled over the framed subway map on the wall as crowds of people walked past her. She wore a dark blue hoodie that she had stolen from a vendor without being noticed. The hood was pulled over her head, the material having weight to it. The size was larger than she needed and hid her frame perfectly as well as blending her in with the people. She had her hands shoved in the pocket, hanging loosely inside it. She still had on her mission suit under beneath it, but the hoodie managed to make it look like she was wearing a normal pair of black pants and boots.

After breaking out of Stark Tower, she ran to the nearest subway station, ducking her way past as many cameras as she could. She’d spent most of her day underground, only going up if she needed to. The last time she did, it was to get from Manhattan to Queens. But she got the feeling that she was being tracked from that time and decided to stick to the subway. Better to avoid the risk of being followed. But she’d be getting out real quick if she wanted to get to Flushing Bay for her real escape.

“Shit,” she cursed under her breath. She sighed as she turned away from the map and towards the stairs that lead up to the busy streets where she’d be followed no doubt.

_ But you’re running out of time. The getaway boat leaves at sunset, and that’s getting pretty close _ , she told herself. Her eyes narrowed as she grabbed the tip of her hood and pulled it down further before taking a step towards the stairs.

She walked in up the stairs, putting herself in the center of the crowd the whole way. When she stepped onto the sidewalks, the first thing she noticed was the air. She no longer smelled the stuffy air that was trapped underground, but cool fresh air that seemed to fill every part of her lungs. Granted, it wasn’t clear country air by any means but was an improvement. 

The second was the sky. Although, not in a good way. Pale blue was painted across the sky as it slowly faded and turned into yellow as it got closer to the horizon. The sun was nowhere above her head and just barely visible if she looked in between the tall buildings surrounding her.

_ Damn, that last ride took longer than I thought _ , she concluded, looking over the area.

The map told her that Flushing Bay wasn’t that far and that it was somewhere northwest from where she was. So (y/n) took off down the sidewalk, weaving her way through the crowd. She walked down the streets looking around wildly for any signs that could point her to Flushing Bay, and even resorted to…  _ socialization  _ by asking for directions. People stomped past her, some of them occasionally bumping into her before mumbling a quick “sorry” before going on their merry way. And by the time she looked up, there was a noticeable difference in the amount of blue left in the sky.

“Let’s see… The lady said that I needed to take a left and it was straight on from there,” she mumbled as she looked around. 

She was in an open alleyway that was fairly lit in an empty part of the city now that more people were starting to get home. But then the petty thieves would start to come out of whatever shadows they hid in, and that meant more people to get in her way. Or, more specifically, more people she’d have to kill. And since she was already on close watch, (y/n) didn’t need the extra hassle. She looked down at the other end of the alley before taking a glance behind her to make sure no one was following her. Seeing nothing that could pose as a potential threat, she continued to walk down the alleyway.

Then, just as she began to near the other end, she heard the sound of metal crashing to the ground. On reflex, a large firearm appeared in her arms as she turned around towards the direction of the noise. Her body stiffened as it took the proper stance and her eyes calmly looked around in every direction.

(Y/n)’s shallow and controlled breaths were the only thing she could hear as she listened to everything around her. Her ears picked up cars driving by on the street as they made their way to wherever they were going. She briefly focused on the light dripping of water onto the ground from an old pipe onto a steadily growing puddle on the ground. She even heard a rat scurry out of the alleyway into some dark crevice, no doubt. But she kept on listening, her gun pointed in front of her as her eyes searched the area.

She took a step down the alleyway, looking for the source of the sound. The hair on her arms stood on end as she cautiously walked down, causing her to tighten her grip on her gun. As she came closer towards it, she lowered her finger over the trigger. And in the yellow light, she saw an old broken pipe no longer than her forearm. A good portion of it was red with rust as the ends were jagged and shattered. 

She tapped it with her foot, yanking it back as a giant spider dashed out of it faster than she could see it. (Y/n) softly gasped as her whole body jerked back from it, her finger almost pressing down on the trigger. Her eyes darted around, searching for it but it was nowhere to be found. Like it just disappeared into thin air.

_ And it thought New York’s rats were big. That thing was huge! And it moved fast _ , she thought as she looked at the shot where the monster spider had been moments before.

_ It was just a dumb bug. Now that I know that, I can get out of here _ , she told herself. (Y/n) kicked the pipe away from her, dismissing her gun out of her arms as she turned around and started to walk down the alleyway again.

And then she heard a hissing sound, and her foot wouldn’t move. In an instant, her fighting instincts kicked in and there was a flash of light as a sword appeared in her hand. It was thicker, and bronze with a slight curve to it at the end. She held it both hands as she pointed it towards her opponent, her body twisting as best as it could with one foot stuck in place.

“Who’s there!” she called out. The alley was empty as she looked around.

And then she heard…  _ him _ . And her desire to kill went from three and a half to ten.

“You look a little lost there. Need help finding Stark Tower?”

She knew that child-like voice all too well by now, and if it could, her blood would’ve been boiling at the sight of him. (Y/n) looked up to see Spider-Man, her cold, and emotionless eyes stared right into the white of his mask. And crawling on his chest was a familiar spider that beeped as it fit itself back into its place in his chest, forming his spider insignia. She should have known.

“Ugh… It’s  _ you _ ,” she spat out.

And some part of her knew, she’d be saying it again.


	17. Chapter 16

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


_ Geez, this guy doesn’t quit, does he? _ , (y/n) thought. Her eyes locked gaze with Spider-Man’s, or at least where she assumed they were. Her heart flipped as she narrowed her eyes, giving him the most intimidating look she could muster up. In all her missions, never had she came across an opponent so…  _ bothersome _ . Every time she seemed to hit him, he just came back like some eager, pugnacious cockroach that was too stupid to die. 

The sun was getting closer to the horizon, making (y/n) silently curse the young suited hero. She was already cutting it close as it was, and she for one didn’t need another repeat of the other night. She had to end it quickly and get out of there. Whether that meant the oversized bug standing at the top of the building had to die or not, she didn’t even care anymore. Killing was no longer her priority, but she wouldn’t hesitate.

“You know, we should really stop meeting like this. I have been looking for you  _ all day _ ,” Peter exclaimed in a lighthearted tone to mask his nervousness. The events of Halloween were still fresh in his mind, and he almost half expected her to rip through his webs and come at him with a fleet of bullets flying at him.

“Gee, I’m flattered,” (y/n) told him with a sarcastic voice. “I’m sure every girl wants to hear that on her way home,” she added bluntly, folding her arms across her chest and leaning on her leg that was webbed to the ground. The eyes on his mask grew, mimicking his eyes as they blew wide at the meaning of her words.

“Oh, geez! That's not what’s happening here! I’m just-”

“So you didn’t spend the whole day following a girl just to corner her in an alleyway as it’s getting dark out?”

“This is different! You tried to kill someone! You’re a criminal!”

A dark look passed over her blank (e/c) eyes, and Peter thought for a second she was going to get angry. But she stayed as calm and composed as ever, her voice unwavering as she spoke to him from below.

“And you’ve never committed a crime before? What about breaking and entering? That’s a crime that comes with the job, don’t you think?” she asked, causing Spider-Man to silently stammer at her query.

“And what about just being a hero in general? What about the lives you’ve made worse? The criminals who had no choice but to turn to illegal means to live, so the people they love can live. Or the ones you’ve caused to be  _ taken _ . Tell me, have you thought about the people who should be out breathing right now? What about all of them?” she asked emotionlessly as she stared at him.

And for a brief second, an image of his uncle filled his mind. Everything came back to him. The grief, the sadness… the goddamn guilt. And then he thought of Liz, and The Vulture. They were happy. A man who was just trying to save his family from poverty was sent to jail, and his wife and daughter had to move as a result. He didn’t think that justified illegal weapon trafficking, but Peter could still see where the aged man was coming from.

He thought about it fairly often. He’d spent countless nights in bed wondering what he could have done differently if there was another way to have handled it differently. He remembers not getting any sleep and waking up exhausted the next morning, that deep feeling of regret in the pit of his stomach. Not wanting to eat, drink, or feel. The desire to stop thinking, even for a moment, just to have a second to himself that would distract him from the lives that should have been alright to this day.

Peter finally snapped out of his quickly darkening thoughts when the girl at the bottom of the building clicked her tongue, looking away as she unfolded her arms to let them hang at her sides.

“Look, I know for a fact that I’m not a hero by any means. I’m not even good in the sense of the word. But I’m not a villain either. I take whatever side I see the most benefits for me. I’m a killer.  _ A gun _ . I’ve taken just as many bad lives as I have good,” she told him.

Silence passed as they stared at each other, watching to see who would make the next move. It came a lot sooner than they both wanted when (y/n) looked up and noticed the color of the sky, the need to run away intensifying.

“But as much as I 'love' talking about this subject, I do have somewhere to be. I’ll take my leave,” she said, a gun flashing in her hand as she aimed at his head.

Peter’s eyes widened again, a small curse slipping past his lips as he hit the deck, a loud gunshot ringing through the air.  _ What the hell is wrong with her?! _ , he thought as he lifted his head to chance a glance at her. But she was already gone, and all that was left behind was a small sliced pile of webbing. 

And now he had to chase a magical bringer of death through the streets of Manhattan. It was like she was trying to be his personal cardio trainer.

“ _ Again _ ?! She has to be shitting me! Get back here!” he shouted, scrambling back up and shooting a web at the building across from him before he began his journey from rooftop to rooftop. He ran along the edge of the buildings, his eyes searching for a head of (h/c) hair. One of the benefits of it being later in the day, barely anyone was out, allowing him to find her easily.

(Y/n) ran as fast as she could, not even bothering to trouble herself with looking behind her. She just ran as fast as she could. Her eyes searched around wildly for evidence that could lead her to Flushing Bay. Finally, she found a sign at the end of the street.

_ A strip mall, bus stop- The Bay! Take a left _ , she listed off mentally. The souls of her boots skid against the sidewalk as she came to the corner, her body nearly crashing into the sign before she continued to run.

Just as she passed the corner, she abruptly felt something lightly hit her back and was yanked backward. A gasp escaped her as she hit the ground. Her head smashed against the concrete, and she let out a pained groan. She sat up slowly, wincing at the dull pain she felt at the back of her head from lifting it. “What the hell was that?” she muttered, turning her body to look behind her. Attaching the back of her sweatshirt to the sidewalk was a long silvery web.

“JUST STOP RUNNING FOR ONCE WILL YOU!” a familiar voice yelled from behind her. It sounded out of breath like it could keel over at any second.

Looking up, (y/n)’s eyes locked on Spider-Man’s hunched over form, heaving in air like a beached whale.

“I… I can’t take all this running… Have you ever done track?!” he asked her with a course voice, nearly coughing out his lungs in the process. He was hunched over with his arms straightened and resting on his knees. (Y/n) stared at him, her face blank.

“I don’t know what track is, but I don’t have time to find out,” she said. Standing up, a sword flashed into her grip. It was a long metallic silver color with bright red jewels lining the middle of the flat of the blade. The handle was a dark brown with bronze edging in the grip, pommel, and blade, which divided it into equal angled sections. With a swift slash, she cut through the hero’s web, a small trail still hanging off her back.

“Follow my advice, don’t make me use this,” he told him, brandishing it, a sliver of orange light shining in his eyes.

Peter looked at her, taking in her fighting stance, and did the same. “That’s a pretty cocky thing to say considering you lost the first time,” he quipped.

“That’s a bold statement, considering I almost put a bullet in your heart until Stark saved you,” she retorted as she pointed the tip towards him.

Peter watched her, and his Peter Tingle came on and the hairs on his neck and arms shifted underneath his suit. She was planning something, soon. “Ok, I get it. We’re even,” he said.

“Not really, but I’ll let you pretend. I underestimated you, child, and I won’t do it again,”

“I’m  _ not  _ a child, I’m a m- It’s  _ right there _ in the na-Ahh shit!” he screamed as she pounced at him, his reflexes once again saving him as he turned. 

The blade cut through the air mere centimeters away from his nose. And as she continued moving, he saw her eyes and locked onto them. Just as stark had seen hours earlier, they were bland and empty. Still no dept, or lighter and darker hues of (e/c). Emotionless and cold, but as calm as the sky above them.

Just as she was about to pass him, (y/n) swerved back on her latest step in his direction and swung at him only to have him duck. Peter shot a web at her closest foot and stood up, pulling it up along with him. The (h/c) haired agent’s back once again slammed on the ground. The air in her lung rushed out through her mouth, and she nearly lost her sight for a few seconds as the pain in the back of her head increased slightly.

Taking in a deep breath to regain it, she flicked her wrist and the red jewels on her blade faintly glowed, the magical illumination spreading to the bronze colored metal that was dividing it. And Peter watched in amazement as the sections popped and separated from each other, the only thing connecting them was a dark brown metal wire going through each jewel. But the time the glowing went away, the sword whip transformation was complete.

_ Damn, I need one of those _ , he thought fanatically. But his hidden fascination was cut off as she waved her arm, the curving blade following her movement gracefully. Peter backed away from (y/n) and out of range. (Y/n) shot up to her feet and ran at him with the sound of the blades ringing against each other filling the atmosphere. As she pulled back her hand, she pulled it forwards, whipping it at him. He dodged it swiftly, a tinge of regret forming in his chest.

“Sorry in advance!” he exclaimed as he pulled back his hand as it formed into a fist before slamming it against her face.

Her head turned in the direction of his punch, her body following her head. She staggered back, her sword whip falling limp from the handle in her hand. Her other hand flew up to her mouth where she was already feeling a warm fluid flowing from the blazing cut, and the taste of her own metallic blood bursting across her tongue. She looked up at her opponent, spitting a large glob of red spit at his feet and swallowing whatever was left in her mouth.

“If you’re going to punch someone, mean it with no regrets. Don’t apologize for it like a coward,” she said bluntly, once again taking a stance.

Her words made Peter freeze in his spot, for reasons he didn’t really know. And all he could do for a fraction of an instant was stare at her.  _ “Mean it with no regrets” _ , he repeated in his head.

His inner thoughts were broken apart when (y/n) moved to strike again, her sword whip curling as she cast it through the air. Peter let out a small scream as he bent backward. His back cracked and popped as he practically made a ninety-degree angle in a direction that didn’t look natural. He groaned as he raised his hands and pushed off his feet. He flipped with an accidental grace, landing in a crouching position.

“My back hurts in so many places it shouldn’t yet… but it kinda feels nice after you get past the intense burning pain,” he said to no one in particular. A flash of light caught his attention as he remembered the reason for his pain, and he watched as the HYDRA agent’s foot came closer and closer to his face. With a great speed that even surprised himself, Peter grabbed her foot just before it could kick him in the mouth. 

Before (y/n) could even react, the suited hero pulled her foot forwards, and she came crashing to the ground on her back… again. And the pain in her head increased… again.  _ I’m starting to see a pattern here _ , she mentally noted.

As she looked up, she saw Spider-Man standing up, looking down at her. Her instincts kicked in, but as she went to move her hands and feet, she felt resistance in the way. Looking down, she saw her hands webbed beside her waist and her feet webbed together. Pulling again, she was only able to shift them and inch, making her groan.

“Listen, I really don’t want to fight you any more than I’ve had to already,” Spider-Man said, holding out his hands to try and pacify the struggling girl. “Please, we don’t want to hurt you. I promise,” he told her, his voice trembling with a genuine sincerity that (y/n) had never heard before. She paused as she felt her heart flip like it had hours before. It felt heavy and deep, lasting longer than the usual flip.

“Promises can be broken, even if you mean them with all your pretty little heart,” she said, throwing in as much disdain as she could make up.

“I don’t know how many have been broken for you, but I just want to try and help you,” he pleaded.

“Listen up, and listen up well, kid. I have gone through life just fine without the-”

She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes caught on something past him. In her peripheral vision, she watched him turn around cautiously, then back at her.

“Umm… is something wrong?”

“The sky…”

“What about it?”

She didn’t answer him as she stared at the barely visible white dot not too far from his head as it stood out against the slowly darkening sky. The flipping in her chest started like a bronco in a ring, unbroken and spirited. And it only continued to intensify until it became uncomfortable. And for a second, she thought she would have sensed a sliver of emotion. But if she actually did, she didn’t catch it quick enough.

The hairs all over Peter’s body went haywire as he watched her go silent, and a small crack formed by her left hand. But just as it had started to grow, it stopped. And then he felt a wave of power wash through him. It felt alive and dangerous. He looked down at (y/n), his eyes wide with trepidation.

“I have to go.  _ Now _ ,” she said. Her voice sent a shiver down his spine at the emotionless tone in it, and he found himself backing away from her.

There was a flash of light that engulfed (y/n), and when she reappeared, she was dawned in a set of armor. The armor perfectly matched her flame sword, being of the same set and all. It fit her body frame perfectly, as she flexed her muscles in it. Like the sword, it was a sleek black metal with glowing lines that imitated rivers of lava, but it had red metal lining where one part or section of armor ended. All the glowing rives sprouted from a singular pool that was placed over her heart, the rivers giving an illusion that the supposed lava was flowing from it. And like it’s matching weapon, it radiated heat.

Peter watched as she started to pull against his webs again, but this time he watched as smoke rose from where her hands and feet struggled against them. He watched as they sizzled and bubbled until they snapped, small flames of fire slowly dying down from them.

“H-how did you do that? Normal fire isn’t supposed to burn through them!” he asked her, his words quivering as he did. His hands trembled slightly at his sides as he watched her stand up.

“What part of this is normal?” she asked bluntly.

Without so much as another word, she went at him.

Peter could only guess what hit him, but it wasn’t that hard to. A wave of heat forced his eyes to close, and he felt a searing hotness scorch his shoulder. It was as if he was being branded, and he let out a pained yell. Opening his eyes, he watched as the black gauntlet burned through the tough material.

“Peter, some web combinations may not be available due to the sudden damage to your suit's shoulder area,” Karen chipped while Peter’s vision went red as alarms blared in front of his eyes.

“Not now, Karen- _ oof _ !”

Peter couldn’t speak any further as he was punched in the gut, making him stagger back and double over and clutch his stomach.

“Never mind, call Happy!”

“Mr. Hogan is currently on the other side of-”

“I need help  _ now _ !”

Peter looked up just in time to dodge what would have been a strike to his rib cage, moving to the side. In a last attempt to get away, Peter shot a web to the higher part of the building next to them. He jumped, practically flying through the air when he pulled himself up. His hands and feet lightly slammed against the bricks, and seconds later he felt the tingling sensation of his feet and one of his hands sticking to the building.

(Y/n) looked up at Spider-Man, and their eyes clashed together in a stare that could have killed the other if eyes had the power. Even as blank and empty as they were, one could look and feel the unwavering will power behind those (e/c) hues and know she meant business. And her adversary knew it as he began to raise his wrist, aimed at her.

_ “Daddy, I can’t do it! You’re being too hard!” _

She watched as the web shot out of his wrist, making its way towards her, and her eyes briefly widened… 

_ “Well, we’re training. You didn’t think I’d go easy on you, did you sunshine?” _

_ “Daddy, stop joking. And stop pointing my sword at me,” _

Her arms moved on their own, moving one forearm to cover her face while the other tensed at her side, ready to be of use. She didn’t know how she didn’t think of it sooner… 

_ “I’m not. Do you want to know how I keep beating you today? It’s the most important thing you can learn when you’re defending yourself,” _

_ “What is it?” _

_ “ _ ** _Use your opponent’s own strengths against them_ ** _ ,” _

A quiet ringing noise sounded as the web connected with the forearm of her armor, and she didn’t waste a millisecond. Wrapping her arm around the silvery stings, she grabbed it with her other hand, pulling it towards her. 

The moment happened as if it was in slow motion. She felt the pull in every part of her body as her muscles managed to pry the red and blue suited hero from the building, causing him to fly at her. Her heart beat calmly in her chest, but it seemed louder somehow, the even and rhythmic sound reaching her ears, and it was all she could hear. It was as if it was just the two of them at this moment. Her vision was centered on the ever growing sight of her opponent, and she drew back her fist before throwing it forwards, connecting with his jaw.

Time seemed to speed back up as she watched him crash to the ground in a series of groans and sighs as well as a couple mumbled broken words that she couldn’t, nor bothered to, decipher. His body lazily moved around, trying to stand up but failing. He landed on his side instead and looked up at her dumbly.

“Note to self, kid,” she started. “If you have to punch someone anywhere, go for the jaw. With enough strength and force, knocks 'em straight out,” she told him as his head fell to the ground.

And… she ran. She ran as the police started to show up, disappearing just as they had arrived on sight. She followed the signs that would lead her to her getaway boat, except it would be nowhere in sight. She would get there, and it would be nowhere in sight. Standing at the edge of a dock, she’d freeze as reality sets in. She didn’t know what else to do. She stood there until the moon rose and the star she’d seen earlier shined bright. Even as she was tackled by a recently semi-healed Spider-Man. SHe didn’t care about what he was babbling about, or that she was now completely restrained from the waist up so that the only thing she could do was walk. She didn’t even care when she was forcibly strapped into a new chair at Stark Tower.

She knew that it wouldn’t matter soon anyway.


	18. Chapter 17

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“You should eat, you know?” Peter said as he pushed a plate of peanut butter and jelly sandwich towards her. But all she did was stare at him with a blank expression.

They were back in the room she had been in the day before, the broken remains of the metal door placed against the wall in the hallway. But the chair she was strapped in was new… And had extra thick cuffs… And a built-in alarm that shocked her if she tried to move too much. Though she hadn’t done anything to activate it yet.

Her fire armor had long since been switched out for her normal black mission suit to make herself comfortable in her last days of life.

And across a fold-up plastic table was Peter in a metal fold-up chair fully suited. Until they knew she wouldn’t at least try to kill him, Tony gave him strict orders to keep his identity a secret for as long as possible. After cocooning her top half in webs and walking her to Stark tower like a dog on a leash, Peter had been put in charge of keeping an eye on her. But the (h/c) haired girl hadn’t done so much as talk. The most movement he’d seen her do so far was shift herself so she could be more comfortable.

“Not hungry,” (y/n) mumbled quietly.

Peter sighed. “I was told that you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Did you at least while you escaped?” he asked.

“No,” she replied.

“Then you should eat. Don’t you think?” he said, trying to reason with her.

(Y/n) sighed, and straightened her sitting position, never breaking her eye contact with him. “This won’t go any better for you than it did the last guy,” she said.

Peter’s face scrunched up in confusion as the eyes of his mask shrunk before they widened back. “Are you talking about Happy?” he asked.

“Possibly. Though, he wasn’t happy in the least,”

“Oh yeah, that’s Happy. No doubt,”

Silence took over after that. Seconds ticked by, agonizingly dragging into minutes. And never once did (y/n) take her eyes off him. It was almost like she was a doll. Sitting in a stiff and firm posture, eyes blank and staring at him for seconds at a time before blinking. But the staring alone was enough to make him want to squirm in his seat.

“Can you stop it?” he asked her in a nervous but irritated tone.

“Stop what?” she asked back.

“Watching me,” he told her. “It’s rude, and it’s freaking me out a little,” he added.

“Why?” she asked bluntly.

Peter raised a brow which resulted in his right eye in growing slightly bigger than his left. “ _ Why _ ? Because it makes me uncomfortable. Doesn’t it make you uncomfortable?” he asked her.

“I wouldn’t know,” she told him.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“That’s not your place to know. Besides, I was thinking about how disappointing it is that you’re the last person I’ll be seeing ever again,” she said.

Peter’s eyes went back to normal as he took his turn to stare at her. (Y/n)’s words seemed to fly in his head before crash landing, sticking in his mind. Ever again? What was that supposed to mean? He didn’t think she meant to die, but it was safe to say she wasn’t a kidder.

“Again? What do you mean again?” he asked her. His voice was calm but underlined in an apprehensive pressure that (y/n) was sure to notice. But she didn’t answer, all she did was stare at him. And it was something in that silence that started to make his heartbeat quicken in worry.

“(Y/n)-”

“I’ll handle it from here kiddo,”

Peter whipped around in his seat to see Tony standing in the broken doorway. His arms were folded across his chest as his eyes flickered over the two teens in the room.

“M-Mr. Stark!” the red suited hero exclaimed as his eyes fell on him.

“You can bask in my presence later. I’ll talk to her. Get in the room,” Tony said with an uncharacteristically peaceful voice. The raven haired man jerked his head towards the mirror and his pupil nodded his head.

“I take it back. He’s more disappointing, ” (y/n) quipped.

Peter got up and walked out of the room, making sure to avoid touching the scorched and broken door on his way out. He turned towards the door at his immediate side and opened it, heading inside the familiar room behind the glass. It was a bit darker this time, as fewer lights were lit, making the light coming through from the mirror the most illuminating thing in the room. Peter pulled off his mask as he walked up to it and watched Tony sit in his chair. He leaned against the fold-up table on his elbows, using his left hand to push the plate closer to her.

“Kid was right, you know. Probably should eat,” he suggested.

(Y/n) shook her head, giving him her best glare. “Don’t think so. I don’t like being fed to. Feels degrading,” she said back.

Tony hummed, slowly nodding his head before picking up the sandwich in his hand. “Well, if you won’t, I will. Bad to waste a good sandwich like that,” he told her before taking a big bite out of it.

The (h/c) haired agent watched as he chewed it up with no reaction, except for a barely noticeable smile on her lips. “Taste good?” she asked him.

“Mmm, widdle heavy on da peanut budder,” Tony spoke through the food in his mouth, covering it as he did so in case food flew from it on accident. He spent a few more seconds chewing before swallowing, setting the sandwich back down on the plate.

“You know, I think you were a bit more talkative with the kid back there. Any reason?” Tony questioned her, lifting a brow.

“No offense, but he’s a bit nicer than you. And less snarky,” she said.

Tony gained surprise as he slapped his hand over his heart and leaned back in his seat. “I. Am.  _ Wounded _ ,” he gasped at her. “A blow I’ll never recover from,” the genius added.

(Y/n) could only look at him from across the table.  _ I’d rather take Happy at this point _ , she thought.

“Not a fan of dramatics?”

“No,”

Tony sighed as he leaned back against the table, looking off to the side. “Great, another Rhody,” he muttered.

“Hm?” (y/n) hummed.

“Nothing. The real topic should be what you were talking about before I came in here,” he said.

(Y/n) noted his shoulders tensing, his eyes narrowing and focusing in on her, and his eyebrows furrowing together. He was serious about his.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” she said.

“Normally I’d take those words and throw them out the window, and I’m still feeling normal. So suck it up buttercup. You’re going to tell me what you meant by ever again by the time the days over one way or another,” Tony promised.

“I said it was nothing for you to worry about-”

“Open your mouth,”

“...”

“...”

“What?”

Tony stood from his seat and walked over to her, dragging the chair behind him. Once he was next to her, he set down the chair and plopped down in it. “Open your mouth. Make this easier and tell me which tooth it is,” he ordered.

“Tooth? What tooth?” she asked. Taking advantage of her talking, Tony held her jaw, keeping it open as he looked in her mouth, taking notes and inspecting her teeth like a dentist in an office.

“You know, your suicide tooth? The one you bite down on or something to kill yourself with? I thought HYDRA made you guys have those. It seems like something they would do,” Tony said. He moved her jaw every which way as he looked in her mouth, as (y/n) started to pull her head back.

She jerked and pulled relentlessly as Tony continued to look at her teeth in a battle of wills. Her jerking caused the alarm to turn on, and she felt a small shock go through her body, making her yelp out in a muffled manner. Only when Tony was satisfied with his search did he let go of her before backing away to a respectable.

“Bottom's good, though you could use a good floss job, ” he noted. “Well, on to the top,” he spoke to himself.

Watching his hand come closer, (y/n) pulled her head away, once again feeling the shock go through her body. “STOP IT! I don’t  _ have  _ one! I didn’t get a chance before I was sent off, you  _ psychopath _ !” she shouted.

Tony took a relieved breath as he raked his hand through his dark hair slumping in his chair. “Oh, thank god,” he sighed. “I thought I was going to have to poke a pencil back there or bring in a real dentist,” he said. (Y/n) ignored him as she yanked her head away from him.

And behind the glass, Peter breathed with him. “Oh thank god,” he breathed, continuing to watch the conversation.

“But that still doesn’t tell me anything. What did you mean by that?” Tony asked as he stood up and moved back across the table.

“Why would I tell you?” (y/n) asked him, her voice raised a little bit.

Tony stared at her as if she grew an extra head.Sudden;y, a wave of sadness came over him. It was as if she didn’t care about her own life as much as he did, a complete stranger and enemy. Was that a normal thing in HYDRA? He assumed not. He thought that all of HYDRA only cared about themselves. It was like she just… didn’t care about what happened to her.

Tony looked dead in her eyes as his voice became stern as he talked to her. “Because if it concerns your life, I make it my point to know. I don’t know how things are run over at HYDRA, but we make it a point to not let you get killed here,” Tony informed her.

(Y/n)’s only reply to him was silence. Tony, even Peter, could see that she was thinking, calculating her options and risks. The chocolate haired boy remembers what she said while he had webbed her in the alley.

_ “I take whatever side I see has the most benefits for me,” _

Was that true? Was that what she was wondering about now? Or did she still feel a sense of loyalty somewhere in her? She mentioned her father earlier, so he assumed that she must have been raised within HYDRA.  _ If they raised her, and her parents are a part of HYDRA, then there’s not much chance she’ll betray them… Right? _ , he thought.

(Y/n) stared at Tony with unblinking eyes. “Why do you want me alive? What do I do for you? If it’s information you’re hoping for, well, I hope you’re used to disappointment,” she said.

Tony chuckled, shaking his head while it hung down a little. It wasn’t an amused one, as much as he thought it should be. The guy was a multi-billionaire, obviously, he wasn’t disappointed about a lot of things in life. It was more of him reaching his breaking point. “I’ve met a lot of stubborn people in my life, but you seem to already be in the top five, and I barely know you!” he said in a falsely impressed tone of voice.

“Is that something I should be happy about?” the (e/c) eyed girl asked.

His quiet laughing came to a gradual stop and he lifted his head to look at her. “No, but what you should be happy about is that we will protect you from whoever is sent to kill you. We’ll protect you from them, I promise,” he said.

Peter watched as (y/n)’s eyes widened for a fraction of a moment, and he could just barely see her fists clench on her armrest through the glass. He watched as Tony leaned back in his chair, but not in a smug sort of way. He watched as (y/n) quickly regained herself, and she dismissed the minuscule changes Stark’s words brought upon her.

“How’d you figure it out?” she asked with a sigh.

Her query caused a bright smile to spread on his lips, and his eyes lit up and danced in the light of the room. “I hadn’t…  _ until now _ ,” he told her, his voice full of triumph.

Once again, her eyes widened, though it was significantly bigger, and her hands didn’t clench. “What? What do you mean,  _ until now _ ?” she asked, her voice small and sounding as if it was getting farther away.

“Ha! I pulled out the oldest trick in the book,  _ and you fell for it _ !” the billionaire cackled, the look on her face making him want to double over, maybe even slap his knees. Her heart flipped quickly as she watched him shortly laugh and turned her face away from him to look at the mirror instead.

“Kill me now,” she said.

Behind the mirror, Peter had a small smile on his face as he watched the scene in front of him. A sliver of teeth was showing behind the fingers of his hand as he internally laughed at the scene in front of him. “Sorry, goes against my morals,” he said quietly with a light-hearted whisper.

“... Please?” she doubtfully pleaded.

“No, he won’t help you,” Tony said, answering her. His smile had shrunk to a calmer size and was directed at her. The atmosphere of the room grew into a comfortable silence as (y/n) sighed and let her head fall against the headrest. “And a good thing too. Kid’s not a murder like you,” he told her.

She didn’t answer him, nor did she give any hint she was listening. Tony looked at her, his smile disappearing.  _ This is going nowhere… At this rate, she just let herself get killed _ , he thought. His heart got heavy at the very concept of it.

(Y/n)’s head lifted from the headrest when she heard the sound of the plate sliding against the table. Half of the sandwich was torn off, leaving the side that Tony ate off left in his hand. She turned to look at him quizzically as he stood up from his chair and began to walk towards the doorway.

“What are you doing?” (y/n) asked him, causing him to stop just before it.

He turned around to face her while pointing his thumb in the direction of the hall. “Leaving,” he stated simply.

“... Why?” she asked.

Tony and (y/n)’s eyes once again locked into a staring contest of sorts. “Because I know when to back down. I’ll be back tomorrow. But before I do…” he said, his voice trailing off. (Y/n) lifted her brows at him, waiting for him to continue. “I want you to know, that murder or not, I’m too stubborn to let you die. And if you truly love your parents, wherever they may be, then you’re going to get that little spark of spunk from before and refuse to let someone beat you,” he said, taking his leave and walking out of the room as he popped his half of the sandwich in his mouth.

Peter turned around as the door opened and Tony came into sight. “Oh, hey Mr. Stark,” he greeted.

“Hey, kid,” Tony spoke in a muffled voice as he walked up next to Peter, his eyes staring at the (h/c) haired girl. Her gaze still lingered on the doorway where Stark had been seconds before.

“What now?” Peter asked his mentor, his eyes shifting back and forth between Tony and (y/n).

Instead of answering him first, Tony pulled out the chair’s remote from his pocket before pointing it at her and pressing a button. Instantly, the cuff on her right hand folded back into the chair, allowing her movement. She looked confused at first and flexed her hand, which released a series of cracks from her joints. Her focus didn’t stay on her hand for long as her eyes traveled to the sandwich on the plate. Taking a quick glance at the mirror, she cautiously reached out and grabbed it. Tony and Peter watched as she began to scarf it down, her eyes kept down low and away from the mirror.

“Now we begin phase two,” Tony finally replied.

“We had phases?” Peter asked.

“You act like I never have a plan, kid. I think that was an insult,” Tony jested, a small smirk on his face. “But in all seriousness, you now have a partner in your ‘Stark Internship’,” he told the teen next to him.

“Am I going to die?”

“No, but you might feel like it though,”

“Oh  _ great _ ,”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Footsteps echoed loud through the halls of one of HYDRA’s most secret bases. They were practically rolling waves of thunder in contrast to the quiet setting of the lit hallway. The source of the footsteps, a young woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun, carried a small tray of food as well as a notebook with a new pack of pencils, sharpener, and erasers.

Coming up an elevator, she balanced everything on one hand as her other pushed a red button next to it. The doors slid open, allowing her to step inside it as she pulled out a card from the breast pocket of her black uniform. Once the doors were closed, she looked for the button she needed amongst the rows of similar buttons. After finding the one she needed and pushing it, a robotic voice spoke from the speaker.

“Going to this level requires an access card. Please you card into the slot below,”

She followed the instructions and inserted her card into the slot. As she pulled it out, there was a beeping sound and the elevator started to lower down. After a minute, the elevator doors opened again and she walked out.

She walked down a hallway of metal doors with keypads on the door handles and metal bars so you could see into the rooms. The woman was in the lowest level of any HYDRA base. The cells were dark, the only light filtering through the bars on the door. They weren’t filled with much except a mattress on the floor with a small toilet and sink on the right wall. But since it was one of the best-hidden bases, only five prisoners were occupying them. But after today, it would go back to one. The academy needed live targets for the shooting drills.

The women walked to the very least cell, peering in through the bars. This cell was a bit bigger than the rest, and there was actually a pillow and blanket made up neatly on the mattress, as well as a mirror to go with the sink with a small trash can to sit next to it. Papers were scattered in small piles near the mattress, while others were taped on the wall. Words and sketches were scribbled all over them.

And sitting on the bed shrouded in the shadows was a small huddled form of a woman facing the door.

The HYDRA agent entered a code into the keypad before opening the door and leaving it open as she walked in. “I got your food, as well as a hot cup of coffee this time. Food still tastes like shit though,” she said in a blank voice.

The women on the mattress looked up, her green eyes briefly reflecting the light from the hallways. They were old and worn, but alive nonetheless. Her dull blonde hair was matted and pulled into a messy bun with strands of hair falling on her face.

“Food’s food down here. And I doubt they’ll make it better for a traitor like me,” she said.

“Hmm… Can’t argue with that,” the other woman said. “But you should still eat it. Oh, and I got the stuff you needed to keep on writing the calculations,” she told the green eyes woman as she set the stuff down on the floor.

“Ok. Take these, they’re done,” the green eyed woman said as she picked up the piles around her mattress and gave them to the HYDRA agent.

“Thanks. Enjoy your meal, Kate,” she said as she walked out of the cell and closed the door. The keypad automatically locked, and she turned to walk down the hall and to the elevator.

The green eyed woman’s eyes widened, and she jumped up from the mattress. She ran full force against the door, her pale hands gripping the bars as she tried her best to keep the agent in her vision. “Wait, stop! I almost forgot to ask!” Kate yelled, her voice filling the silence of the hallway.

Hearing her friend’s plea, she stopped but didn’t turn around to face her. “What is it?” she replied.

“How… How is (y/n)... I heard something happened to her, but no one else will tell me anything. Please, I have to know,” Kate begged, her voice quivering.

The agent’s head lowered as her heart became heavy. It was a physical ache as she delivered the news. “S-she… got captured. And was put on the list,” she said, making Kate gasp from her cell.

“But she’s only sixteen! They can’t do that! What about the rules?!” she exclaimed.

“They’ve changed the rules since the falling. We can’t take any chances,” she said.

Kate’s eyes started to well up with tears, and her heads started to shake as she processed her words. The shaking slowly spread through her body. Her throat felt as if it was convulsing, repeatedly becoming uncontrollably tight before opening up as she began to take deep breaths.  _ No, not again _ , she thought as she fell down to her knees.

“I’m sorry, Kate. I really am,” the agent said as she began to continue walking down the hall, leaving the green eyed women alone in her cell again.

Kate didn’t register her words, all she could think about was her daughter. Her head turned to the mattress before her body followed. Crawling on her knees, she lifted the mattress revealing a pile of papers. Letters from (y/n). She picked up the most recent one that was sent two months ago. It was more like a report than a letter, but she couldn’t blame her. HYDRA didn’t teach people to write so they could send letters. 

Tears plopped down from her sunken cheeks onto the paper as she hugged it close to her chest, her cries not even having the strength to fill the silence of the room.


	19. Chapter 18

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“This isn’t what I thought about when I agreed to this, Stark,” (y/n) said as she sat on a lab table with her arms at her side and feet hanging off. Wires were connected to various parts of her body, mainly on her temples and fingers, but one on her back and heart area as well.

Tony and Peter had been surprised when they came in three hours later to find that she had, once again, broken out of her chair and instead was sitting in the one opposite, facing the open doorway. And if that wasn’t enough, she had agreed to allow Tony to protect her. Not only that, but was up to decide any conditions he’d have in mind. And, after negotiating for thirty minutes, they’d come to an agreement, shaking hands for good measure.

While (y/n) was free to roam the building, she had to have on a tracker and be watched at all times, either by his AI system or a trusted associate. 

This was due more to the (h/c) haired girl being a target of HYDRA than being a deadly assassin. Although, Tony thought it was another good reason. 

And on her end of the deal, (y/n) had to have her weapons returned unharmed. After that, she was allowed to have her space, and continue training if she felt like it. And lastly, and certainly least, Tony was allowed to use her as a lab rat in a manner of speaking.

“I didn’t get a chance to do this with Wan- Scarlet Witch,” Tony explained as she looked at her scans that were showing up on the hologram screens in front of him. “She was an experiment in HYDRA before she joined us. Know her?” he asked.

“I’ve heard of her. She switched sides during the whole Ultron thing. She didn’t qualify for the kill list at the time, so we let her be,” she said.

Tony glanced at her before pulling his eyes back to the screen. “What do you mean by that? If they put you on the list, why not her?” Tony asked as he lifted his hands to type away on the screen.

“Back then, the kill list wasn’t as strict and harsh as it is now. Now we-...  _ They're _ just desperate to stay hidden. I’m just up next to keep it that way,” (y/n) said.

Tony nodded his head in response, and she watched as an image of her body sitting down on the table showed up. The image was a blue outline of herself with little detail, focusing mainly on her internal workings instead.

“Alright, everything seems to be working. Lift your hand, please,” he instructed.

(Y/n) did so before setting it back down at her side.

“Perfect. You have one of the healthiest brains I’ve ever seen-Where are your hormones?!” he exclaimed as he enlarged the body scan on his screen. His face scrunched up in a mix of slight worry and curiosity as he looked over it.

“Please, what hormones…” (y/n) commented, causing his head to quickly face her.

“Huh? Care to elaborate?” he spoke.

“Oh my-What you’re seeing is normal,” she said in a rushed tone.

“Normal?! You’re missing dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, endorphins, and at least half of your other hormones! That’s normal?” he asked in disbelief. He stared at her with wide eyes as she just simply stared back at him.

“Yes, actually,” she answered him.

Despite her reassurance, Tony still stood there gaping like a fish, his head going through possible scenarios where more than half of her hormones weren’t active. Sure, it was possible to have low amounts, but not completely have no trace of them. “Wh-How? Were you born like this? Cause this...” he said, standing back and gesturing to the brain scan with both his hands to emphasize his point. “... Isn’t normal,” he told her.

(Y/n) looked at him before sighing and shaking her head. “That is irrelevant information. I’ll tell you some other time,” she said bluntly, making Stark click his tongue in irritation.

That was another agreement. (Y/n) refused to give away any HYDRA secrets until she knew that they wouldn’t double-cross her in any way. The information in her head was the only cards she had to play here in enemy territory, and she’d be stupid to give that up easily. She knew she was better than that.

The moment was interrupted as Peter came running into the room with his feet screeching against the floor. He was still suited up, on Tony’s orders, carrying a black backpack gripped tightly in his hands. “I got it,” he breathed out, taking another long breath before standing up straight and handing it to (y/n).

The black bag was big, covering the length of her back from below her nape to ending just above her hip line. It looked old and worn, with one or two stitches that could barely be seen due to skillful repairs and the color of the fabric. It had three main openings in the front, middle, and the very back as well as two smaller side pockets. The small bag had been with (y/n) since her first mission but still holds itself together despite all the shitty situations it’d been put through. And she was sure as hell it would sigh at the mess she was in if it could.

She took it from like he was about to burn the bag and its contents to ashes within seconds. “Thanks,” she said, holding the bag in her lap as she hugged it close to her body as if shielding it from them.

“Sorry it took me a while, but I had to look at different buildings to find it,” Peter told her. “Next time though try adding more description than ‘abandoned building across the venue’. It’s New York, there’s a couple of those every block,” he added before backing away from her to stand by Mr. Stark and away from (y/n).

She didn’t know what it was, or why, but the feeling of having her backpack back, with it’s worn strap and familiar weight and presence made her shoulders slowly lose their tension and made her heart flip. It was like a switch had flipped, and the screens turned red as they let out a few short beeps, zooming out from her brain and then back in at her heart.

“Woah, what happened?” Tony said as he looked back at the screen. The eye’s not leaving the screen, he snapped his fingers before pointing at (y/n), his eyes narrowing as his brows knitted together. “Hey! What’d you do?” he asked her frantically.

“What do you mean?” she asked, raising a brow.

“Don’t play that game. My stuff going haywire!” he exclaimed as he tried to calm his machine down.

Peter took a step closer to the screen, reading the alerts listed on the screen. “Irregular heart movements, unexpected nerve action… Hormone deficiency?” he read off, one of his eyes growing to show his questioning.

(Y/n) gripped her bag a bit tighter as she stared at Tony and Peter, the wires starting to make her skin uncomfortable. “I told you, I’ll tell you some other time,” she said again in a monotone type of voice.

Tony groaned, slapping both of his hands. “Basically, kid, she’s missing all her hormones,” he told Peter.

“No,” (y/n) cut in. “I’m not missing  _ all  _ of them, just the ones that are deemed unnecessary,” she said. Her response caused the two men to straighten up and face her.

“Unnecessary?” Peter repeated. “They’re hormones. They’re all important for bodily functions, reactions, thought processes, mental health, and emotions, especially. It’s  _ near impossible  _ to have them without hormones,” he told her.

“Exactly. I don’t need the ones connected to emotions,” she told him, staring into the wite of his mask. “Without telling you any important information, I don’t feel emotions. Any emotional hormone production has been shut off. Instead, I feel physical sensations whenever I’m supposed to have emotional ones,” she explained as she pulled her feet up to sit Indian Style on the table.

Tony nodded his head as she told them. “And, ironically, you feel them through your heart,” he said.

“Yes,” (y/n) replied.

“Wait, why? Is it artificial, or were you born with it?” Peter asked her. His question seemed to have struck close to home, causing her to close her mouth. Instead, she stared hard at him in silence.

“That is irrelevant information. I’ll tell you some other time,” she said once again in a monotone voice, her hand mechanically grasping the strap of her backpack.

A few more seconds of silence followed before Tony’s lips thinned out on his face, and he began to feel the awkwardness in the room. Clearing his throat, he gained the other two teen’s attention before clapping his hands together.

“Ok! Well, this was all fun, and, uhh… enlightening, but he does have to go home. His Aunt is already pissed off at me as it is, and this whole thing has made it worse,” he said as he put a large smile on his face and walking out of the room, waving his hand towards him as he looked at Peter.

“Oh! Umm, b-bye,” Peter stuttered as he walked out of the room, following his mentor as he was escorted out.

Tony and Peter walked side by side down the hall, the sound of their steps mingling together as they walked towards the waiting area of the floor. Tony walked with a bit more speed than the teenager next to him, causing Peter to have to jog every couple of seconds to keep up.

“Hey, slow down a bit!” Peter exclaimed as he finished his latest mini jog.

Tony rolled his eyes as he continued to keep his pace. “Oh please, I’m not even walking as fast as I can. Besides, Miss Magic back there said something about you needing to work on your stamina. If you want to get better, that’s the first thing you’ll need to work on,” he told Peter without even looking at him.

“What? When did she tell you that?” Peter asked.

“While you took forever finding her backpack. If you can’t find a bag on a rooftop- and that’s easy compared to finding people- I don’t know how you can handle harder stuff,” he said.

“Come on! How many buildings are in New York? And she didn’t give me much to go on, either,” Peter defended himself, throwing his arms out.

Tony shook his head as he came up to an elevator, pressing the button on the side and looking up at the ceiling. “Take him to the garage, FRIDAY,” he said. Tony lowered his head to look at Peter, who sighed as he went and tore off his mask.

“Mr. Stark, I know I’m new to this kind of stuff, but I can learn and get better.  _ I promise _ ,” he pleaded, his brown eyes boring into Tony’s own. And he swore he could feel his very  _ soul  _ tremble.

_ Damnit, Stark. Don’tbreakdon’tbreak- _ , he thought before he groaned.

“Fine! Next week you’ll begin training. I’ll… find a trainer or something!” he yelled out, his voice showing the irritation and shame at the loss of his will of steel. He lifted his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as his elbow tested on his other arm that was now held across his stomach.

At his strained words, Peter’s eyes lit up at the news. A bright smile broke out on his face and he straightened up, his grip tightening on his mask. “You will not regret this, I promise!” he said with excitement in his voice.

“Yup,” Stark keened out. “Happy will pick you up sometime next week. We’ll be fully moved Upstate by then,” he informed just as the elevator doors spread open. Peter bounced inside as he threw his smile at Mr. Stark.

“You will not regret this!”

“Too late,”

“See ya next week!” he said, lifting his hand to give his mentor a small wave good-bye.

“You too,” Tony spoke as he lifted his hand and waved back as the doors closed.

Sighing, he raked his hands through his hair. He stood there in front of the elevator, wondering what he had gotten himself into.  _ If my children end up like this, I think I might maroon myself in the desert again _ , he decided before making his way back to the lab.

As he made it back to the room, he walked inside to find the girl still sitting in the same place and position. Her bag was open in her lap as she ate a small bar with its wrapper peeled back. Upon his entry, her face turned towards him, her chewing pausing as she made eye contact with him.

“What’s that?” he asked, vaguely pointing at the snack in her hand.

Swallowing what was left in her mouth, he wrapped the bar back up and placed it in her bag before zipping it up. “A ration bar. I got hungry,” she said simply.

“Oh,” Tony replied. “Ok then. Come on, I’ll show you your room,” he said as he started to walk away.

“I get a room?” (y/n) asked.

“Yeah. Unless you’d rather sleep on the lab table?” he asked, his voice carrying from the hallway.

It didn’t take long for (y/n) to catch up.

“Don’t get excited about it. We’re moving upstate tomorrow at ten o’clock, so you’ll be sleeping there tonight only,” he told her as he walked back to the elevator. They rode in the elevator for a few short seconds before exiting and continued walking down another hallway.

The hallway was lit fairly well with simple ceiling lights, showing off the well kept dark gray tile floors and light grey walls. Dark brown doors lined the walls every fifteen or twenty feet, their metal frames shining in the bright light.

“So, before we go in,” Tony started, catching her attention. “Remember that this was once the Avengers Facility. The windows are  _ perfectly  _ bulletproof,” he told her as he came up to a door and opened it. Holding it open, he waved his hand towards the room, and (y/n) stepped inside.

She understood why he felt the need to remind her. On the wall opposite of the door was a large window that crossed from one side to the next with long white curtains for people to use if they wished, though they were closed. Bright afternoon sunlight filtered into the room. The polished wood floors were a light grey color, while the walls were a dark grey. A few feet to her right was a dresser with a mirror above it on the wall. A bed with white and red sheets laid in front of her on the wall to her left. And finally, a door in the wall to her left held a desk, as well as another door. The large and open space looked nice, overall.

“Like it?” Tony asked her.

“Sure. But I think a broom closet would be safer,” she criticized, her eyes never leaving the city scenery outside the windows.

Tony groaned at her, his shoulders slumping, making his arms hang in place and dangle. “Well, there’s a bathroom past that door! If it makes you feel ‘safer’, then sleep in the tub or shower, kid,” he said.

“Alright,” (y/n) responded as she walked further into the room and tossed her backpack gently on the bed.

“We’ll be leaving at nine tomorrow to go to the new facility upstate,” he said. (Y/n) turned around to face him, noting the way his shoulders immediately straightened out, his eyes becoming hard and cold as he glared at her. “Pepper, my fiance, will be unpacking. You even  _ try _ to hurt her in any way, shape, or form, I  _ swear to god _ … I will turn you to the government without a second thought. Kapeesh?” he said harshly, hissing out his last words in a nasty tone.

Fear or not, he intended to let her know he meant it.

(Y/n) nodded, understanding him completely. “Yes, sir,” she said.

He stared at her for a few more seconds before clearing his throat and scratching his jaw.

"Alright… well, that's it, I guess. Uh, there's food in the kitchen, and we'll get you some clothes tomorrow," he said. 

He got no reply except for the nod of her head as she looked at him. An awkward silence took over, and Tony took that as a sign to leave, closing the door softly as he began to make his way to his room for the last time.

And in her temporary room stood, (y/n) stood alone. She turned her gaze away from the door and back to her backpack to pull out her ration bar.

She walked around the room as she ate her food bar. She wandered about the room out, getting acquainted with her surroundings. If she had to fight here tonight, she wanted to know what could give her an upper hand.

So far, she had a chair from a desk and a window to throw her opponent out of. Not much if her life depended on it, but she could make it work. She was sure of it.

Next, she checked the bathroom. It was a moderate size, big enough to have room to walk around in, but not enough to be too much for a bathroom. It had a sink and mirror with a toilet next to it by the door, and a bath and shower combo with a small closet at the end. She couldn't help but think that it would be the perfect size for a small bed for tonight.

_ If I take the millions of pillows on the bed and blanket from the actual bed, it should be ok for tonight _ , she thought, looking back at the perfectly made bed in the other room. Tossing the wrapper in the mini trash can in one fell arc, she turned and walked back inside to the bedroom.

She walked back to her bag, opening it more to look inside. She hadn't really checked her stuff inside, as much as she probably should have. That Spider guy didn't look or act very graceful to her.

The first thing she pulled out a small handful of ration bars and set them aside in a pile next to her. She didn’t know why she still ate them if they tasted horrible, but she’d finish them all for the sake of never having to eat them again. Reaching back in, she pulled out a large black folder and opened it. Inside were the paper files she was given to review on Stark and Potts.

_ Big help that was _ , she thought in a sarcastic mental tone as she closed it before tossing it next to the ration bars.

Next, she pulled out a large folded bundle of soft dark green fabric. Unfolding it, it revealed to be a large tie-blanket. While one side was dark green, the other side was a dark yellow with blue and pink flowers on it. That side wasn’t as soft, but wasn’t coarse, nor had it lost the soothing feeling to the skin either. But she didn’t care about the blanket right now, but what was folded  _ in  _ it. Carefully shaking it loose, a small rectangular object fell onto the plush surface of the bed.

Tossing the blanket aside, her fingers gently curled the metal picture frame. Picking it up, she stared at the picture of her parents and her younger self. (Y/n) usually never brought it with her on missions, but since this whole fiasco was sketchy from the very beginning, she figured that it wouldn’t hurt to have something for luck.

“Yeah… Some idea that was,” she said to herself, carefully putting it back in her bag, the ration bars soon to follow.

She spent the rest of the day unable to keep her eyes off the windows, sitting on the bed with her sword in hand. She ate another bar or two before setting up the bathtub at the stroke of midnight with her backpack close, and the family picture right next to it.


	20. Chapter 19

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Beat it Blood!”

“But I’m telling you, I can handle it! If  _ anyone  _ should get a chance to kill her, it should be  _ me _ !”

“I said  _ no _ !”

Katherine stomped down the halls of HYDRA, trailing after the Sergeant Major as he walked away from her. It had been a few hours since (l/n) had been added to the ill list, and the very first person to sign up for the job was none other than Agent Blood. And she was… highly insistent, to put it simply. The moment came when (y/n) was finally put up on the kill list, she’d been going around like a woman on a mission (so to speak).

“I came second in my class at the academy, survived solo missions for two years now, and I specialize in  _ stealth _ . That’s what you need for fucks sake!” she growled as she gritted through her teeth.

The Sergeant Major stopped abruptly, causing Katherine to nearly crash into his back before he turned around and looked down at her. The blonde backed up, her heart beating a little bit faster as he glared at her. Her throat went dry and her hands trembled the slightest bit, making her put her hands behind her back.

“Blood,” he spat out like it left a bad aftertaste in his mouth. “We don’t need you. There are plenty of perfectly capable and experienced agents here that at least stand a  _ resemblance  _ of a chance against (l/n). And I’ll send them instead,” he said in a low voice, his harsh words rumbling like thunder and striking Katherine like lightning.

Her green eyes seemed to glaze over with a familiar sense of hatred that she’d felt before. The kind that festered and boiled in every part of her body until all she wanted to do was let it out in the most horrifying, grotesque, and goriest way possible.

As Katherine began to steadily breathe harder through her nose, The Sergeant Major turned away and began to resume his walk down the hall.

In an anger-driven haze of judgment, she ran after him. “Then who is? I’ll join them,” she said, trailing after him.

The Sergeant Major sighed as he walked a bit faster, his fists clenching tighter by the second. “You’re testing my patience, and that’s never a  _ smart  _ thing to  _ do _ ,” he snarled, not even bothering himself with turning around to look at her. “When will you realize that you’ll never be on the same level as everyone else? They will end up beating you on the cold. Hard.  _ Ground _ . Because, that’s where you started, and that’s where you’ll end. And more than that, I’d bet my bottom dollar that you wouldn’t last a whole day before you’d end up dead in a ditch. We don’t need stealth, we need skill, which you lack at the moment,” he snarled at her.

How long was this goddamn hallway, anyways?

Katherine’s feet seemed to refuse to take another step, her legs becoming stiff. Her heart squeezed itself as she listened to his words. A wave of sadness washed over her, her throat clenching as she tried to keep from yelling out. “If not me, then who!” she yelled as the gap between her and The Sergeant Major grew with each second.

“Ms. Elor. She’s actually  _ qualified _ ,” he stated rather simply.

“And if she isn’t?” Katherine asked, her voice steady, yet wavering as she finished the question.

For the second time that day, The Sergeant Major stopped, and turned towards her. But instead wearing a scowl on his face, he wore a pleasant expression, like he had a small vision of happiness.

“If by some, uhh,  _ miracle _ , Ms. Elor fails, then you’ll get your chance… But I don’t think you’ll live through it,” he said. And with that, he turned around and walked away.

Katherine stood alone in the empty hallway, staring dumbly into space. 

_ Great, first chance I get, and they send one of the top agents after her. That’s fair _ , she thought.

Sighing, she turned around to head back to her room. She walked back seeing red, ignoring the agents she passed, the janitors cleaning the occasional specks of blood from the floors and the walls, even passing a full-blown brawl without so much as a glance. Words circulated through her head like a broken record, spitting them out her mouth before they went back in through her ears, making her unaware of the person heading right for her.

“Not good enough… I’ll show them. I’ll train harder than anyone here. I’ll kick their asses and kill them in cold-  _ Oof _ !” she mumbled as she was practically rammed into by a giant stack of boxes. The force of the blow causing her to lose her footing. Momentary panic went through her like she missed a step in a flight of stairs, and, dramatically, saw the last hour of her life flash before her eyes.

But before she fell to the ground, she was jerked back up seconds before she hit the ground. A sharp pinching feeling pricked her arms and the sides of her waist, making her kiss at the slight feeling of pain.

“What the hell?!” she exclaimed as she looked around, her eyes almost bulging out of her head as she took in the sight of mechanical tentacles and their large four-pronged mouth clamped around her.

“Hey, what’s the big deal?” a girl’s voice snarled, irritation evident in it, from behind the stack of four boxes towering over her head. She didn’t sound much older than Katherine was. Setting down the boxes, Katherine finally saw who she was dealing with.

“Oh god… It’s you,” Katherine said as she glared back at her with an equal amount of irritation. “Little miss  _ Doc Oc _ ,” she grumbled.

The girl who ran into her had on a dark green suit with a beat-up aviator jacket over it as she wore a vest the tentacles were connected to. But her head covering mask was gone, revealing her face. The clear dark copper skin of her face was framed by even darker wavy hair. She had big dark brown eyes that caught the dim lighting perfectly, as well as full lips that were curled into a frown.

“That’s  _ not  _ my name,” she said in a low voice. “It’s Liz Allen,” she told her.

The blonde rolled her eyes with a scoff before centering back on Liz. “Whatever. Just put me down!” she demanded, her arms struggling against the metal clamps on her.

Liz folded her arms across her chest as the tentacles let go of her, and Katherine fell gently on her feet as she dusted herself off. “You should probably think about how to hold on a little less tighter,” she said.

“They kinda have a min of their own. I’m more connected to them than they are to me,” she explained. As she talked she watched one of the mouths seemed to straighten up a few stray strands of hair before she swatted it away. It recoiled back as if it could feel a fear of her, moving to hide behind one of its brethren.

“...Weird…” she mumbled to herself, one of her brows lifting to mirror her weirded-out-ness.

“Enough of this. Grab two of those boxes and help me carry them,” she said, pointing towards the stack as she picked up a few before walking past her.

“ _ Excuse me _ ? Why should I help you?” Katherine asked, turning her head to look at her.

Liz sighed before pausing in her step and letting her head droop towards the floor. “Because you ran into me. And I can’t see where I’m going with them stacked that high,” she said.

“But I-”

“Have something better to do?”

“...no…”

“That’s what I thought,”

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Katherine stared dumbfounded at the lab as she walked in. It was a semi-large room with high cement walls. They were covered in mold and grim, with one wall half painted black. There was no free or plain wall, with one taken over by a large lab table, one by a desk with presumably a million different scenes another tech on it, a slim-fit bed and a nightstand placed next to each other across the wall, and finally a dresser next to the door.

_ It’d look bigger if there weren’t so much crap _ , the green eyed girl thought.

She let herself dare to look upwards to see just below the ceiling was what Katherine guessed to be at least fifty separate pipelines, one of them dripping water into a small bowl on the floor.

“What a grand set up you have here,” she quipped sarcastically as she dropped the two boxes in front of her, gaining a groan from Liz when whatever inside it clattered about as they crashed.

“What the hell! Has it occurred to you that maybe IT’S FRAGILE,” Liz told her as she hastily set the boxes down on the lab table before speeding to the others.

Katherine watched as she picked them up and sent her a pretty harmless glare. “Mmmmmmmmmmmmm… Yeah, but I didn’t really care if I’m being honest,” she said as she pulled her lips thin and mockingly nodded her head.

“Look bottle here, blo-”

Liz’s voice disappeared as she heard the clicking sound and the feel of cool metal no more than a seconds later. Her breath hitched in her throat as her eyes slid up to see Katherine standing over her with a gun pointed right at her head. Even the tentacles there were once moving on her back froze still as stone.

“Don’t finish that sentence. The last person to call me that ended up dead in the Mediterranean outside of Spain. And I’ve killed others for less than that. Either Katherine or Blood will do,” she said slowly.

Liz let out a quiet shaky breath and nodded. The gun was instantly removed, allowing her to stand up and get away from the blonde psycho in her room. “A bit overkill, don’t you think?” she mumbled to herself, setting the boxes next to the others before sitting in the rolly chair in front of her desk. 

“Hey, anyone else in this shithole would have already blown your brain out in the hallway. Only reason I didn’t was because I already got one head honcho angry with me,” Katherine explained as she casually walked around, taking in what little the room had to offer.

“I never thought I’d see a crappier room than  _ mine _ ,” she stated.

“E-excuse me?” Liz asked her brows knitting together.

“Your room is shit. And let me tell you, so is mine, but yours takes the cake,” Katherine said.

Liz shook her head as she looked down and pressed a button on the metal vest, and the tentacles on her back went limp, the metal colliding with whatever they landed on. Liz shrugged off the vest like a backpack before picking it up, dragging the arms across the floor in the process, and setting it up next to the boxes. “Well, if you hate it that much, then leave. I got other stuff to deal with,” she said, making her way back to the chair before jiggling the mouse that was next to the keyboard.

Katherine scoffed at her, folding her arms as she sauntered over to her, leaning against the desk. “Oh yeah? Like what?” she asked.

The question took the dark haired girl back, her hands freezing in their place as she stared at the screen in thought. What made it her business? This “Blood” chick wasn’t her friend, nor even an acquaintance. Hell, she just  _ held a gun to her head _ a few seconds ago! But, in the two months that Liz had been staying here… She was the closest thing she might have to one. Being seen as the new agent in the middle of a HYDRA base in the desert was a bit lonely, as petty as Liz thought it was. She was a people person, always was. She was used to being around her friends nearly 24/7, whereas now, she didn’t have any. Blood wasn’t perfect (by any means), but she was all she could have at the moment.

_ It wouldn’t hurt to try. Plus, I don’t have to tell her everything. Baby steps _ , she thought.

“I… got someone who ruined my life. I want revenge. Badly,” Liz told her as she began to type away, her body snapping out of its daze.

“So does everyone else. What’s the problem? Are they hard to find? Tough to kill, maybe?” Katherine inquired.

“Easy to find, easy to kill. I just need the opportunity,” Liz explained.

The blonde teen let out a breathy chuckle. “Join the club… Do they think you’ll just die the second you get there?” she asked, her voice growing quieter as she spoke. Katherine’s arms slumped as she looked down at her feet, sheepishly looking towards Liz from the corner of her eyes.

“... Yeah, they did. Said I wouldn’t last two days,” Liz said, swallowing the small lump in her throat.

_ “And more than that, I’d bet my bottom dollar that you wouldn’t last a whole day,” _

Katherine could still hear The Sergeant Major’s voice echoing in her head, unable to leave completely. “At least they said two days. I was told one…” Katherine told her.

“Did they say you’d end up in a ditch too?” Liz asked her, her hands pausing their movement as she turned to look up at her.

“Yes! Did they say the same to you!”

“They did!”

“Those  _ assholes _ !”

“ _ I KNOW _ !”

And, for what seemed no reason at all, the two girls burst out laughing. Liz threw her head back, practically hollering to the ceiling, meanwhile, Katherine simply hung her head and chuckled controllably. They continued like that for a good few minutes until a beeping sound came from the ceiling. The laughing stopped, with Liz lifting her head back into a popper position, while Katherine’s looked straight up, her face filled with alarm as she reached for her gun.

“ _ Dinner’s in five minutes _ ,” an old crotchety voice said before the beeping sound came and went.

“What the hell was  _ that _ ?” Katherine asked, putting her gun away at the mention of food from the voice. “Was that the old lady from the kitchen?” she asked.

“Yeah. They tell you mealtimes through the speakers. Don’t you have one?” Liz asked, standing up from her chair and heading for the door. Katherine followed her, glancing up at the speaker until Liz closed and locked her door, putting her room ket in her aviator jackets pocket.

“No. Normally, someone knocks on my door and tells me. But I have had a room with the other agents since I grew up here. Plus, I don’t have a mini lab, so there’s that,” she explained, walking next to Liz and shoving her hands in her pockets.

Liz smiled as she heard Katherine talk. “Well, regardless, I’m glad to be eating with a friend again,” she said, her heart leaping at saying the word friend again.

“Woah! Back up,” Katherine exclaimed, throwing her hands out from her pockets and to her sides. “In  _ here _ ,” she started, pointing up and making a spinning motion. “We, uh, we don’t do… well...  _ f-fREindS _ ,” she said, taking her time to process the new word added to her vocabulary. Her face scrunched up like she was eating something bitter and sour.

_ What a drama queen _ , Liz thought playfully as she toned down her smile. But as hilarious as that last thought was, she was able to do it. “Alright, what about… Ally!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up.

“That’s fine. But if you are going to be this happy and yippy all the time, I think I might go die in the desert,” Katherine said.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

Ms. Elor walked into the main mission control room, her back straight and hands held tightly behind her back. She wore a confident aura as she did so. Her suit was perfectly washed and put on with her thrown up hair blending into it as it trailed down from her head to her shoulders.

She walked through the all too familiar room, receiving looks of respect and inferiority from those around and passing her. She carried herself with pride as they did, her status as an agent showing through. She walked through until her eyes landed on the person she was looking for. She found him yelling at an unlucky agent, his voice booming through the room.

“-And if I hear one more word out of you, I’ll send you to the academy as target practice!”

“Yes, sir! Sorry, sir!”

“Then get busy!”

Oh yeah, that was him alright.

“Sergent  _ Major _ ,” she called. The said man turned around at the sound of her voice. “Congratulations on the promotion, sir,” she said.

As usual, his face twisted into an angry one as he marched up to her. “Where have you been?! You were asked for thirty minutes ago!” he asked her. He didn’t wait for a response before walking off, an offhand signal to follow. Ms. Elor picked it up, following him to the secluded touch screen table.

“I was finishing up a shower after an early dinner, sir. Part of my pre-mission routine,” she stated, taking a seat at the table.

“I don’t care,” The Sergeant Major mumbled as he tapped on a file icon, causing the screen to be filled with (y/n)’s files and news reports on the Stark’s failed Halloween party. “Focus on this instead,” he ordered, sliding the different files towards Elor.

“Hmm,” she hummed as she looked through them, tapping and zooming in on the ones that caught her eyes the most. “Seems like she failed,” she said simply.

“Yeah, no shit,”

Ms. Elor stopped at the story of what happened, silently reading it. “Says here that the culprit was caught, but tried to escape only to be caught again. Now, she’s being put under Stark’s watch,” she read aloud. “Doesn’t say who she is, or who she worked for. Just that it was a girl… and they weren’t told it’s a teenager. Says it’s a young woman,” she told The Sergeant Major.

“I know all that. It’s my job to read it. This is a simple kill mission. Get in, off her, and get out. You’re one of the only people who could possibly manage it,” he told her.

“Even then, I’m skeptical. I’ve seen her train and grow. I mean…  _ Adam and Kate _ trained her. And nobody messed with them,” Ms. Elor said, finally looking up. 

“Even so… Find, then kill her. I won’t care if you see Stark or anyone else. Understand?” he asked her. He looked up, catching the gleam in her eye. Her whole face seemed to ooze a sort of glow, reflecting it from the scream. And then she replied with a voice like the shiniest silk, 

“...Why of course. Where is the arsenal?”


	21. Chapter 20

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


He had waited all week for his first training session. Even Aunt May was happy at the news that he'd get some official training. Then he told Ned. As expected, they both ended up fanboying over the whole situation the whole week. He even packed a bag with extra sweat clothes and water bottles, along with a lunch bag. And, just in case, even packed his suit and extra web blaster. Then, finally, Happy came on Saturday morning and drove him upstate.

He looked through the windows of the car and watched as they passed the gates, making him nearly bounce in his seat. But, due to Happy's thin line of sanity and patience, he settles for frantically bouncing his leg instead with a small and controlled smile as question after question started to pour out of him.

"Have you met them before?"

"Regrettably,"

"Are they, like, crazy strong? Or are they like a specialized hero trainer? Is that even a thing?"

"Yes. And it is with Tony, "

"Wow! Really? Then what about the-"

"OHMYGOD. YOULLMEETTHEMSOONENOUGH," Happy groaned as he pulled up in front of the front double doors.

Peter closed his mouth shut, pulling his lips thin. "Sorry, Happy," he apologized in a quieter tone.

Happy sighed. "It's fine. Just get in there. But one thing, " he said, grabbing Peter's attention.

"Yeah?" Peter asked.

"Just… when you feel like you're going to die, just remember. It's all for your sake," Happy told him.

Peter stared at Happy, a nervous breathy chuckle escaping his lips.

"Ha, funny joke, Happy," Peter said as he looked at Happy. The older man's face remained unmoving in a serious expression, his eyes revealing no hint of a laughing matter, no matter how much Peter hoped to find it.

_ He's not that serious… is he?! _ , Peter asked himself.

"Sure… a joke…" Happy muttered loud enough for Peter to hear him, causing the teen to swallow thickly.

"B-but they're not…  _ that _ intense… r-right?" Peter stuttered out, gripping the small bag that was thrown over his shoulder.

Happy had to. He  _ had to say it _ . For comedy's sake.

"... Nice knowing you pal. Now get out of the car,"

Kicked out of the car before it drove away to be put in the garage, Peter had no choice but to move forward. As he walked down the halls of the estate, with FRIDAY's help, his heart began to beat faster like he was already training. Somehow, during the weeklong excitement, he had forgotten the actual training part.

Where he'd be broken down and sweating enough water to fill a pond. His muscles would scream and ache until he probably cried for it to stop. The gasping for breath as he'd want nothing more than to keel over and lay on the ground in defeat. And that was his experience from  _ gym class  _ before he got his powers. He didn't even want to imagine what an actual hero's work out felt like.

_ Stop it, you'll be fine. You're going to train, and everything will work out _ , he told himself as he walked into the elevator, his mind not stopping as he kept reassuring himself. When the elevator stopped, Peter walked out, his body doing what his mind was too distracted to do. 

_ I mean, Mr. Stark wouldn’t get a trainer to kill you before you could actually use what you learn _ , Peter reassured himself as he walked down a new hallway.

“Peter, you just passed the door to the gym,” FRIDAY instructed him.

It was like a blanket that was unknowingly draped upon him was suddenly ripped off, and his head swiveled around on his neck as he looked around. He was in a more homey looking hallway, with warm auburn wood floors and milk colored walls.

“Oh… Thanks, Friday,” Peter called out, not getting an answer in return.

The chocolate haired boy turned around, walking back to the pair of double doors he passed. They had a window on the upper half of each one, allowing him to look into the huge gym inside. The white brick walls had various racks and climbing equipment. At the very top wall opposite of the doors were long windows stretching the entire length of it, bringing a majority of the light in the room. The floor was smooth polished concrete, littered with all kinds of workout equipment. Peter was sure he’d use everything, at the very least. In the center of the floor where everything surrounded it, was a large, black, square mat.

And standing in the center was a familiar (h/c) haired girl going over her warm-ups. Her outfit was loose yet form-fitting, with a spaghetti strap tank-top and baggy pants that seemed to be tied at her knees. Her feet were bare, with her hair out of her face.

“Holy f-”

“Language!”

“Ahh!”

Peter let out a scream as he whipped around to see Tony standing behind him, his arms held up and outstretched, prepared to catch him at any moment. Tony stood there, watching as he stuttered over his words, beginning and restarting his sentence as he pointed towards the door.

“Why?!” he finally asked clearly, his eyes wide and full of panic.

“Kid, I can explain,” Tony told him, moving to the right as Peter tried to walk away before stopping as he saw that Tony would move with him.

“That would be great because she is going to kill me the second I walk through those doors!” Peter exclaimed.

Tony sighed at his not completely inaccurate over-exaggeration. “Ok, first of all, she won’t kill you. I already gave her the “stun not kill” talk,” Tony told him.

“That shouldn’t even be a talk!” Peter said.

“That’s beside the point. The point is, (y/n) is the best option there is. I have no idea how to train you, SHIELD is over, and Cap and Barton were the ones who were in charge of breaking in the newbies,” Tony explained, seeming to have finally calmed Peter down a little bit.

“What about Black Widow? She seems like she’d be good for training,” Peter suggested.

“You’re not only wrong, you’re stupid. We tried, but she was a bit too intense. Plus, a lot of stuff went down after you left,” Tony told him. “Short story, she kinda joined Cap,” he added.

Peter groaned as he turned around to look through the windows, regretting his sudden move. He froze as he was met with a pair of waiting (e/c) eyes staring back at him. (Y/n) stood in the center of the mat, arms crossed against her chest, leaning on one leg more than the other. And she stood there, waiting.

“Look, she doesn’t want to be there any more than you do. Took a lot to convince her to train you,” Tony told Peter, as he walked next to him.

“What made her agree?” Peter asked, turning to look at his mentor.

“Mmm… said she was getting bored training by herself,” Tony answered.

“Great. I’m entertainment,” the teen mumbled to himself.

A moment of silence passed before Tony turned around and started to walk down the hallway, taking Peter’s attention away from (y/n).

“Whether that be true or not, you need this. So be an adult and go in for me,” he exclaimed as he continued, leaving Peter alone.

(Y/n) watched from inside as Peter finally opened the doors, walking into the room.

“About time. I was starting to think I’d have to drag you in, Peter Parker,” she said.

“You know my name already?” Peter said in a nervous tone, making him pause just as he passed the doors.

“Stark allowed me to look at some parts of your file last night,” she told him.

“Oh  _ goody _ ,” he said in a low tone that was somewhere between the mood of sarcastic and fearful. But it was safe to say that it was pretty much split evenly down the middle.

(Y/n) hummed to herself as she looked over his choice of clothing.  _ T-shirt and swim trunks… better than nothing _ , she noted.

“I guess your clothes will do. But I suggest buying actual workout clothes. Oh, and take off your shoes,” she ordered.

Peter looked down at himself. Actual workout clothes? This was his gym outfit for when he was actually able to clean his normal gym uniform! And no shoes? But as much as he already was questioning her methods, he listened and took off his shoes and put them in the bag as he slipped it off his shoulders.

“What’s in the bag?” (y/n) asked.

“Nothing much. Food, water, extra clothes…” Peter told her as his voice trailed off, tossing his bag near the door and walking the rest of the way to the mat.

“So, have you ever, like,  _ taught  _ someone before?” he asked her.

“No,”

“Oh…”

“But I remember how I was taught very clearly,” (y/n) reassured him. Peter nodded his head, taking that final step onto the mat.

“Then what first?” he asked.

“Physical assessment,” she asked him, grabbing his arms and yanking him to take her place in the center. She moved his arms to stand in a t-pose and continued to walk around him in a circle.

“W-what are you doing?” Peter stuttered as he kept the pose, only allowing his head to follow her.

She didn’t answer him, making Peter sigh as he gave up and looked in front of him. He watched as (y/n) passed him, taking another circle around like some sort of vulture. After a few seconds, he watched her come back around again, stopping this time around.

“How was your physique before you got your powers?” she asked, staring dead into his eyes.

“Well, I was really busy with band, quiz bowl, not to mention homework-”

“You didn’t work out at all did you?”

“Not unless it was for gym class,”

(Y/n) nodded her head and placed her hands on her hips.

“Anything else?” she asked him.

“I used to wear glasses and contacts, but my eyesight got boosted up like crazy,” he said.

“Ok. You can put your arms down now,” she said. Peter lowered his arms at once, awkwardly placing them at his sides.

“Well, this is a minor setback, but it’s going to feel like the final plane of hell, even more than it already would,” she told him.

“What do you mean by that?” Peter inquired.

“From what you told me, everything you are now is because of your powers. There is no natural strength, only what you have now. You’re an already finished shaky building with no, or very little, foundation under it. So, we need to find a way to build a foundation,” she explained. Her words caused him to look at her in shock and wondered confusion at the same time. 

_ That… actually sounded rational _ , Peter thought astoundingly.

Still slightly surprised at his revelation, Peter blinked a couple of times but was able to find his voice. “Ok… how do we do that?” he questioned.

“Easy. You train. Get ready, we start now,” she told him, getting into a sturdy position. Her feet spread and firmly planted, her arms up and ready in an outward striking distance.

“When you fight, you have no form, making it obvious to your studious background. But that’s just a fancy way of saying you’re a fucking nerd,” she spoke, her words ringing the complete truth in them. “Understood?” she ordered. But the room was quiet as she got no reply, causing her to look behind her.

“Parker?” she called.

“Hang on a second,” Peter said, crouched down as he rummaged through his bag.

(Y/n) stared questioningly at him, almost as if she was offended by his actions. “What the hell are you doing?” she asked him.

“Getting my web blaster so we can train,” he stated.

“No weapons,” (y/n) said bluntly.

Peter’s hands stopped rustling through his bag and turned to face her. “But… I thought we were training?” he thought aloud, turning to face her as he did.

“We are. But before we train with weapons, we train the body first. Because at the end of the day, a weapon is only wielded as well as the person can wield themselves. And you? You wield like  _ shit _ . It’s a miracle, the things you were able to do with basically no idea of how to do it whatsoever,” she explained.

“Thanks? I guess?” Peter said. That… sort of sounded like a compliment, from the right angle. Right?

_ Better than nothing _ , he figured. Peter sighed before he turned around to face his bag again, zipping it back up. (Y/n) watched as he stood up, walking over and standing next to her.

“What do I do now?” he asked her. She responded by motioning for him to copy her by taking her previous stance. Peter did his best, but as (y/n) looked over, she saw numerous mistakes. This caused her to sigh but keep her stance anyway. It was barely a minute into training and she already wanted to reconsider using weapons.

_ My god, I am going to  _ kill _ this boy by the time I’m done here _ , she thought viciously, throwing him a glare. It made the skin on him crawl as his Peter Tingle caused his arm hairs to rise… Again.

_ Yeah, because Mr. Stark had the grand idea to pair you up with a super powered psycho killer _ , he thought.

(Y/n) closed her eyes as she felt a quick flip in her heart, taking a death breath. Opening her eyes, she made contact with his own. “Lift your arms before I break them into position, and tell your feet to get a grip to the ground before I nail them there,” she demanded.

And this (dear audience) was a reflection of the many weeks to come.

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Tony sat in a chair inside the gym as he watched (y/n) beat the living out of Peter. He was semi-relaxed, with his old voice recorder in his hand. It was on, and ready for his new log series. And it was fully dedicated to the “growth and development” of the full seven months that he’d have (y/n) for. He wanted to call it the  _ Highway to Hell _ series, but Pepper gave him her mom glare and made him rename it (which already made his heart happy thinking about the future). But that all aside, he just loved the chance to play commentary and piss off the two teens.

“It is currently weekend number three of kid’s training session, and  _ wow _ , does he  _ suck  _ at fighting. Can’t imagine the number of times his lunch money was stolen,” Tony spoke into the recorder.

“That’s not necessary, Mr.-  **Ahhhhh** !”

“Pay attention, Parker!”

Tony smiled as he watched said boy get kicked in the ribs and flips around like a rag doll at the hands of (y/n). It was like having a more violence prone TLC drama show right in front of him.

But as he leaned forwards in his chair and bright the recorder closer to his lips, lowering his voice just a bit.

“But on a more serious note, Lancelot seems to be adjusting to Program Redemption as well as you could expect her too. Still think she’s secretly plotting to kill us all, but nothing other than. I have no alerts from the security systems or FRIDAY, yet,” he told it as he watched (y/n) deadlift Peter from the ground with one arm and set him on his feet again.

He stumbled as his tired and beaten body did it’s best to get into the position she had been teaching him for three weeks now. It was better than weekend one, but he still got his footing messed up every few minutes.

“I heard that,” (y/n) said as she briefly turned to Stark before Peter, like he was being taught, took the chance of momentary distraction and lunged the best he could. But it was all in vain as (y/n) switched back to him and kneed his gut, making him fall to his knees. Tony closed his eyes, hissing at the severity of the blow, listening as he groaned in pain on the floor.

“If it wasn’t for her little emotion problem, I’d say she’d have anger issues,” he commented off handedly. “Back on topic, she does nothing but train, clean and sharpen her weapon, and eat so far. Won’t stay in a windowed room for more than two hours at most. The gym is an exception because she says you can’t find an angle to shoot a person from outside. Keeps her curtains open in her room. Kinda gloomy in there,” he noted.

(Y/n) rolled her eyes and ignored that last sentence as she held Peter in a chokehold on the mat.

“But, she’s complied with the agreement, and even let me run two more tests. Although it’s crappy right now, I can detect large surges of power from her, much to her displeasure,” he said, mumbling the last few words.

(Y/n) sighed as she abruptly stood up, taking Peter up with her as her arm was kept securely around his throat. His back was pressed against her side, making him stand at an odd angle. Peter yelped in surprise as his hands flew to grip her forearm to stable himself. Choking sounds flew from his mouth as he tried to pull her arm away even just the tiniest bit.

“Listen, Stark, if you have nothing better to do, then get out. You’re causing a distraction to both of us. Unless you want to become an example?” she told Tony, who swallowed the spit in his mouth.

“Haha, no thanks,” he said, a nervous chuckle on his tongue. She watched him sit up from his chair, and walk towards the doors.

“You know, I think I’m going to look for Pepper. See ya later, kid,” he said as he opened the doors and hastily walked away, the doors closing after him slowly.

“Hmm,” (y/n) hummed as she suddenly let go of Peter, making him crash down to the floor in a jumbled heap.

Peter gasped in a series of deep breaths as he rubbed his throat. The (h/c) haired girl took a step away from him to give him room, as well as air. A few seconds filled with heavy breathing passed before Peter moved to roll on his front and finally push himself off the ground to his feet.

“What the hell?!” he yelled as he glared at her unmoved face.

“What? Did you want me to kill you instead?” she sarcastically enquired.

“No! But you didn’t have to completely close the airway that last couple seconds!” he told he

(Y/n) glanced down at his tightening fists and the way his muscle tensed underneath his skin. His brown eyes seemed to glow with a dark fire in them.

“Then maybe you should have done something instead of trying to pry my arm away. Most of the time it doesn’t work, anyway. The best chance is to go for the face or hair if you can. Hell, just go for anything,” she told him, stepping closer. 

Peter’s body went into panic mode as his eyes widened in fear as he backed away, taking a defensive stance (y/n) taught him. Seeing this, she stopped and crossed her arms. She looked at him, sweaty and tired, and her heart gave a flip.

“Your stance is off again,” she stated.

Peter felt as if he would blow up. As he glared at her with hateful eyes, he felt as if he could stab her with a knife. “I don’t care! Just-” he stared, but just as he felt his voice start to rise, he reined it back in.

As cliche as it sounded, yelling wouldn’t get him anything or anywhere right now. (Y/n) couldn’t feel anything, so yelling at her when she couldn’t even get mad back would only make him madder in a sense. He’d run into a personal self-made cycle of hell twice already, and they all ended with his ass on the mat, appending to the soreness he was already going to feel. (Y/n) didn’t take kindly to “disrespect from subordinates”, as she’d said.

_ Must be a HYDRA thing or something _ , he had figured the first time it happened.

Peter stopped altogether as he saw her begin to move closer, and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he focused on calming down to the best of his ability. After exhaling, he opened his eyes, looking at (y/n) as he spoke with a strained sternness in his voice.

“Look, I just need, like, a five minute break or something. Get a drink of water, maybe a small snack. That’s all I ask,” he pleaded, staring straight into her blank eyes.

“No,” she said.

“What?! Why?!” he asked, forgetting all about not getting mad.

“Because these two days are all you do to train. You come here for five to six hours for two days, and then you go back to your normal routine. I’m not stupid. It’s obvious to tell you don’t do those exercises that I tell you to do. Especially the reflexes. Those are the most important ones,” she said in an unmoved voice. Her words caused Peter’s own to wander off, leaving his mouth to try and grasp them again over and over. Eventually, he gave up, and (y/n) gestured towards the center of the mat

“You are well hydrated and well-fed. I know just how far to push you, and my breaks had to be earned… and so will yours,” she said. It was quiet for a few seconds as they glared at each other. Neither backed down nor blinked from the battle of wills like it was a challenge to the death.

“There’s still two hours left! We’ve been training for four hours now. Who does that?!” he asked her, yelling it out.

“I did!” she yelled back, her voice breaking in through his.

Peter froze, his body freezing as she walked up to him, but still keeping her distance. Like she thought he would strike her while she did. Her eyes were still blank and emotionless as ever, but her body was tense, and her voice was slightly louder than usual as he began to tell him off, her heat flipping with every word she spoke.

“I trained for hours on end, no food, water, or rest. Not unless I showed improvement. I trained until I fell over, unable to fight. My body has been cracked, sprained, dislocated, twisted, and spent until it couldn’t anymore. HYDRA doesn’t give you the luxury of “water breaks”, and “taking it easy” when they train you to kill. Sorry, Parker. I can’t teach you what I don’t know,” she said.

They stood there, staring at each other, not really knowing what to do. Silence filled the gap in, as well as awkwardness, causing the two teens to shift in the places as it quickly started to get worse. Soon, it was like it was trying to suffocate them, making (y/n) feel her heart flip due to the uneasiness.

She looked at him one final time before sighing. It was an empty sigh, but a heavy one, as Peter even felt some of it on his chest.

“Fine,” was all she said as she walked off the mat.

Peter watched as she magically changed out of her workout clothes and into a more casual outfit that Tony and Pepper had provided her earlier in the week. It was just a pair of simple jeans and a tank top with the navy blue sweatshirt she stole days before tied around her hips. She kept walking towards the doors.

“Hey,” Peter called out quietly, his voice barely loud enough for a normal conversation. But his voice caused her to stop and turn around and face him.

“What?” she replied.

Peter opened his mouth, his words delayed as it stayed open. Blinking once, he finally found them and spoke in a timid tone. “W-Where are you going? We still got two hours,” he said.

“I’m closing early today, Parker. Go home. I was told to train you so that you could not only protect yourself, but other people too. Maybe I judged you too quickly, but I thought you’d jump at the chance to learn out to best protect the people you save. I heard there was more than one instance where a lot of people almost died. Learning something like how to fight and defend for others takes more discipline than learning for yourself. It’s more selfless,” she said, pausing to let her words sink in before speaking again. “If you wish to come back, good for you. But think about it before you do. You won’t get this chance again,” she said.

He watched as she walked the rest of the way to the doors, and left without another word, much less another glance at him. And he was left alone in the gloomy room, with nothing but his thoughts now. And, though he didn’t want to admit it, a slight feeling of guilt.


	22. Chapter 21

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


(Y/n) stood leaned against the counter of the kitchen, glass of water in her hands with a ration bar in the other. It was dark in the room, save for the light from the moon that came in through the window and the semi-bright stove light. She chewed on it as her eyes drifted over the design of the sleek and modern, yet homey design of the kitchen. Since coming here, she couldn’t help but note the different overall feel between the tower and the estate. It was more welcoming like he was building a home and not just a place to come in and out of.

It was nearly one in the morning, but she found it nearly impossible to sleep. Being out in the middle of the woods and hearing all kinds of noises, as well as seeing shadows from her room that was identical to the one at Stark Tower, made it impossible. Back at HYDRA, there were no sounds of any life in the dorms except for themselves, and sometimes from neighbors or right outside the door. There were also no lights except for the ceiling light to cast shadows.

_ That’s not true. I stole that clock _ , she thought. Her mind cleared she remembered how the colors changed and shifted against the room. It was almost like seeing the real thing. Not that she had, but she’d seen pictures and figured it was close enough. To her surprise, it actually helped her sleep, watching the colors.

_ It’s probably thrown away by now _ , she thought.

She sighed as her mind once again circled back to her current position as of late. Swallowing the ration bar, she took a sip of her water before shoving what of the left of the food bar in her mouth and dumping the rest of her water. Turning around, she placed the cup upside down at the bottom of the sink.

“Great,” she breathed as her shoulders slumped. She had hoped getting a midnight snack would help her, but she didn’t feel any more ready to sleep than before. She faced the window, making no move to actually get any closer.

She had seen a forest at night, but it was more like she is  _ in _ the forest rather than looking at it. The thought caused her body to move behind the counter, still not feeling the need to leave the room just yet.

It was one of the first things she learned about the assassination. If there’s a forest around the house, you’ll get a chance eventually. And if not, then it’s a good place to hide in for cover. She’d know best. That was how she got twenty of her kills.

Before she could delve into thought about her time in the academy or any missions, the lights turned off, leaving the moonlight to calmly light the room where it filtered in. Her heart flipped rapidly as she slowly got up and walked over to the stove light. Tony had mentioned some of the lights and appliances had timers throughout the estate, turning off at midnight or when no one was in the room. But when she pressed the button, it wouldn’t turn back on. And then her eyes went to the stove and the coffee maker to check the time, finding that their screens were off.

And then she felt it.

Her sixth sense lit up like a blast from a canon with her reaction just as quick. A gun flashed in her hands in seconds as she whipped around to point it right at a lurking shadow in the doorway before all hell broke loose…

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Peter sat at the table in his apartment, his eyes staring at the same math equation for the twelfth minute in a row. He had been working on his homework for an hour now, but this was only the second paper he was on out of five. And that was even with getting three done during lunch. He sat there frozen, his pencil stilling in place on the paper.

He couldn’t get last weekend out of his head. He tried. At first, he distracted himself with school work and his hero activities. And it did work, for today. And then it came crashing back. So, he went to youtube and found a new song for him to be obsessed with listening to, but even that failed him. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, it kept replaying in his head over and over again, and he thought after a week he’d be insane. But he was still sane, at least as far as he knew.

And all he was left to do was think. Think about the words that were spoken, specifically (y/n)’s. Something about the way her voice kept flat at moments where he would have been yelling until his throat was sore, or how she kept her cool and didn’t punch him where she stood, or anything relating. But what he thought about most was how her voice raised. It wasn’t a shout or even an exclamation. It was just a slight rise in her voice to catch his attention and make him listen, and nothing more.

And he would have thought nothing about it, if it wasn’t for the fact that he never saw her yell, save for when Tony mentioned her father in Stark Tower. But the fact that she did as she talked about HYDRA, stuck with him like gum in curly hair. And how she walked out of the gym after giving him the option of quitting or coming back.

“You ok there, kiddo?” a gentle voice asked next to him.

Peter’s head snapped up to see the caring face of his Aunt May. She had the day off and was wearing her casual clothes and glasses, her eyes concerned behind the lenses. She had sat herself down in the seat next to him, but he hadn’t even registered the chair legs dragging across the floor.

“Sure,” he answered her. The exasperated tone in his voice betrayed him, causing May to pull her lips thin and look down at his homework.

“Are you? You’ve been working on that same problem for fifteen minutes now,” she told him.

“No! … It’s been twelve,” he said in defeat, sighing as he dropped his pencil and let it roll away from him.

May watched as he leaned back in his chair and chose to nod her head and lean forwards on the table. “Is it about last weekend?” she asked him.

Peter’s eyes widened for a brief second in surprise. “H-how do you know?” he asked her.

“Ned,” she said bluntly.

“The traitor,” he mumbled. “How much did he tell you?” he asked her.

“Mmm, enough. The fight started off about water breaks since it was a six-hour straight session. And then it got a little personal and she walked out of the room. Still don’t know how you feel about all this though,” she told him. A few seconds passed as she looked expectantly at him. She knew he knew that look, and he sighed again and turned to look at her.

“I… Feel guilty. Just, I thought that she was just being really intense and all, but it never occurred to me that it might be the only way she knows…” he said, his voice becoming smaller as he went on.

May let out a silent chuckle. “I guess that’s a little bit of a compliment for me,” she said.

“Huh? What does that mean?” he asked her, leaning up in his chair to show interest, his curiosity peaking slightly.

“For as smart as you are, you’re really dense sometimes,” she noted but continued on before he could retort. “It means you had a good childhood. You never have to worry about me being a drunk, have an obsessive parent suffocating you with the pressure of succeeding, or even being abused… For better or worse, you’re sheltered because you’ve never had that. And we live in a good part of town and you go to a good school, so there’s not much to worry about. And if there is, you’re not a part of it. Ned’s parents are just as good as me about that. That’s part of the reason I like him as your friend. He’s good, and cares about you, as a soul sister should,” she joked, a smirk breaking on her face when she heard Peter chuckle.

“But… because of that, you don’t know how to deal with it,” she told him.

A moment of silence passed before he spoke. “Then… How do I?” he asked.

It was May’s turn to sigh as she looked down at her hands and fiddled with her fingers. “Well… It’s different for every person. Different situations, circumstances, personalities, and reasons. But from what I hear about (y/n)... It sounds like she’s just doing what she thinks is normal. I mean, she did mention that it was like a kill or be killed place, right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Peter answered her.

“Right. And based on her reaction and what she said, she thinks that her way of teaching is a means of survival. It’s most likely her way of life. I think she’d have objections if it was the other way around,” she said.

“Yeah, probably. But I think she’d find a way to turn it into a fight to the death,” Peter said in a light hearted tone, chucking at the thought.

Their conversation was cut short when Peter suddenly felt a buzz through the table’s surface and heard a familiar ringtone. Both of their eyes looked towards Peter’s phone, the screen showing a picture of an unsmiling Happy staring into the phone in his normal unhappy manner.

“Happy?” May read from the caller ID. “Why is he calling you?” she asked Peter.

“I don’t know. Maybe he heard what happened and wants to know he’ll have to pick me up tomorrow?” Peter wondered as he reached over and picked up his phone, pressing answer as he brought it up to his ear.

“Hey, Happy. What’s up?” he spoke into the phone.

“Kid, I’m outside the apartment. Get your stuff and get down here. There’s been a problem,”

  
  


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(Y/n) sat in Tony’s in-home infirmary room, with bandages covering her head, right shoulder, and left leg as she leaned back on the small bed. The room was a mix between an operating room and a rich doctor’s office, with surgical equipment, various scanning machines, and cabinets and counters, with a TV screen to view the scans anyone would take. A nurse stood over her, looking over her for any other injuries she might have missed. But after a few seconds, the nurse sighed, turning back to a concerned Pepper, who stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

“Well?” Pepper asked, her voice wavering with worry.

“She’ll be fine. No concussion, or any internal bleeding. But there was a punch to the head, a stab wound in the leg, and a gunshot in the shoulder. Luckily, it missed anything important. She’s lucky,” the nurse finished. She let out a small smile, glancing back at the (h/c) haired girl in the small bed. Her smile seemed forced as her eyes lingered on the wrapping around the 

“Is there anything else?” Pepper asked her, noticing the strange look the nurse had given her.

“Well… It’s just… How did this happen again?” the nurse asked.

Pepper’s mouth opened and closed, but before she could think of a plausible excuse, (y/n) beat her to it in her classic stoic tone.

“Attempted murder,” she stated from her place on the bed. The room was quiet as both of the women stared at her until the nurse turned away to look at Pepper.

The strawberry blonde woman looked back at her, mortified at (y/n)’s sudden explanation. As much as she wanted to assure the nurse of anything else, anymore “explaining” would make it seem more suspicious than it already seemed. They hadn’t exactly given much information. They had woken up in the middle of the night to a repeating round of gunshots. For a second, Tony had thought he was having another dream about being taken back to the cave in that desert, only to realize it was in real life. And when they had gotten down to the kitchen, they saw (y/n) in a heated battle with another figure in the shadows. Just when Tony stepped in to help, he’d almost gotten shot himself.

If it wasn’t for Pepper pulling him back in the hallway at the right moment, she didn’t want to imagine Tony being the one in the body bag instead of the mysterious dark skinned women below them.

Not knowing what else to do, Pepper nodded at the nurse. The nurse smiled nervously, quietly chuckling at her. “O-ok, then. I’ll head back downstairs. I left some pain medication on the counter over there, and if anything else happened, don’t be afraid to take her to the hospital,” she said.

“Thank you,” Pepper said.

“Just doing my job,” the nurse said as she made her way out of the infirmary.

Once Pepper finally heard the footsteps disappear, she snapped her head at (y/n), a stern look on her face. “What the hell?!” she exclaimed.

“What?” (y/n) asked.

“ _ Attempted murder _ ? Why did you tell her that, of all things?!” Pepper inquired.

(Y/n) felt her teeth grit together as she stared at Pepper. “Oh, I’m sorry, next time I’ll say that it was assassination from a terrorist group,” (y/n) quipped.

“Next time?” Pepper said, repeating (y/n)’s first words. “You think there’s going to be a next time?” she asked.

(Y/n) sighed choosing to stare at the ceiling. “Yes,” she said simply.

“Even after you killed one of their agents? How do you know?” Pepper asked, her voice quieter and slower than before, but still just as serious.

“Take a wild guess,” (y/n) told her.

Pepper was, once again, left speechless at her words. She didn’t know what to say, no matter how hard she racked her brain. She’d helped Tony through these kinds of situations all the time, but that was different. Whenever she had to talk down Tony, it was because he was thinking about the lives he couldn’t or hadn’t been able to save. And he was actually in distress about it, whereas (y/n) was laying as calmly as a cat with no real need to be comforted. She was at a complete loss of what to do.

But just as Pepper was about to say something, she heard a pair of footsteps coming towards the infirmary from down the hall, making her turn her head to look towards it. Her eyes lit up in recognition of Tony, with his tired face from being woken up at one in the morning with no sleep since then. But when her eyes moved to the face of the man next to him, her whole body tensed up as he got closer to the room.

It was Secretary Ross.

“Ms. Potts,” he called out when he noticed her a few feet away from the doorway. “Nice to see you again. Our meeting was brief last time,” he said as he and Tony walked up to her. She watched as his eyes went past her to the girl in the room, and she leaned on her side, blocking her from his view.

“It was a passing glance and a hello, but I guess you’re right,” she said, turning to Tony. “Hey,” she said, taking his hand in hers.

“Hi. How is she?” he asked her.

“The nurse said she should be ok. I was worried there for a minute, but she’s as calm as ever,” Pepper told him as she gave him a reassuring smile. She watched as he exhaled, his shoulders relaxing at hearing (y/n) was going to be fine.

Secretary Ross glanced at them before walking in. (Y/n) sat up, wincing at the pain in her thigh and shoulder as she did, her eyes never leaving Ross.

“You killed a woman,” he said.

“It was either her or me. Is it a crime to defend yourself. Besides, even if I didn’t kill her, she’d have killed herself one way or another,” she told him.

“And you know this how?” he asked her, raising his brow.

“You must be pretty blind to miss the gun  _ and _ stab wound on me because I think it’s pretty clear she didn’t plan to take me alive,” she snapped at him, planting the daintiest of smiles on her lips. Her heart gave a small flip at the sight of his vein slightly popping on his forehead and his fists tightening.

Tony couldn’t help the smirk that broke out on his face as he and Pepper watched the short but worthwhile interaction of (y/n) and Secretary Ross. A sense of commercial pride washed over him as the two of them raised the tension in the room as they stared at each other through heat gazes.

Tony could have watched how these series of events would play out, hell, he was hoping that a fight would break out just to put Ross in his place. He could see (y/n) flipping the older man on his back against the cold floor in his mind’s eye, and he could already imagine the bets that would be made between him and the other government workers down in the kitchen. But, as the resident voice of reason, Pepper ever so gently elbowed his side.

“Ow!” Tony whispered loudly, causing him to look questioningly at her, brows curved downwards. Pepper glared at him, gesturing for him to do something. Tony looked between her and the two people in the infirmary before silently sighing, mouthing “fine”, and clearing his throat.

Ross and (y/n)’s heads turned to him, as he spoke. “As fun as this would be to watch, Ms. (l/n) does need rest after being shot, and stabbed, and punched… as you can  _ hopefully  _ see-”

“ _ Tony _ !”

“-I’ll just walk you out the door,”

Pepper shook her head as Tony walked down the hallway with an empty yet sarcastic smile on his face. His heart leaped with joy as Ross soundlessly followed, throwing one last glare at the (h/c) haired girl and walking next to Tony.

“You seem tense there, Ross. What’s wrong?” Tony asked, his smirk never faltering as he led the other man down the hallway.

Anger and annoyance radiated off of Secretary Ross like a wood stove in winter, and it took every ounce of self-control to keep him from punching Stark across the jaw.

“What’s wrong is that you’re not taking this seriously, Mr. Stark,” he snarled.

“That’s not true, I’m taking this very seriously,” Tony told him.

The two of them continued to walk down the hall, bickering back and forth, both of them desperate to make the other shut up. Each word that rolled off of their tongue was shaped to hit the other like hail against glass, only to roll off their backs as easily as rain. And as much as Tony was trying to ignore Secretary Ross’s words it was starting to get harder to let them roll off his back as easily. Finally, he came to the elevator that would finally lead Ross to the first floor, and out of his estate.

“Well, this has been fun, but I do have a teenager to deal with, and another on the way. So rest assured, I’m not just doing nothing about this,” Tony said, pressing the button panel next to the doors. They slid open, and Tony gestured for him to walk in.

Ross did so hastily, looking at him as the doors began to slide closed. But before they did, Tony watched as Ross placed his hand between them, pushing them apart.

“Tony… She killed someone. It’s barely been a month, and look what’s happened. S-she broke your prodigy, destroyed your home, and stained the floor with blood. How much can you withstand before you see that some people can’t change?” he asked.

Tony froze on the spot, and he found it hard to swallow any of the spit in his mouth. “I’m not going to give her over without trying, despite what you may think of her chances,” he said.

He waited a moment, holding his breath to see if Secretary Ross would say anything else. But to his surprise, the other man said nothing. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, you should leave. I have guests coming over in a few minutes. I’m sorry for everything, but you need to clean up the mess downstairs, take your men, and go back to Washington. Until next time,” Tony said, finishing the conversation by grabbing Ross’s hand and lifting it off the elevator door, letting it slide close.

He sighed as he listened to the lift lower down, and faced the ceiling when he could no longer hear it. “FRIDAY,” he called out.

“Yes, Mr. Stark?”

“Where’s Happy and the kid? They should have been here by now,” Tony asked her.

“They are pulling up to the gate as we speak, Mr. Stark,”

_ Good _ , he thought.

“Thanks,” he said before making his way back to the infirmary. When he got back, the two girls were still in there, a light conversation going on about how (y/n) had redirected something from the thing, and how much reaction time she had to do so, or something like that.

“Hey-oh,” he said as he walked in, offering a slight smile before he dropped it, walking over and pulling up a rolly stool from under the counter.

“How did it go?” Pepper asked him, her face showing that she wasn’t very hopeful for any good news.

“Not good. I think we’ll have to go to Plan D. This happened because we left Lancelot here in one place for too long. We should have been smarter about this,” he said, no hint of his usually playful and sarcastically charming attitude. Instead, his voice was low, and cautious, almost sounding sad, or disappointed.

“No, you did fine, Tony,”

“Thanks, babe,”

“But, Plan D? Are you kidding me?”

“Well, it’s not the worst plan out there!”

“Um… I have questions,” (y/n) spoke up from the bed. Tony and Pepper faced her, nearly forgetting that she was in the room.

“What questions?” Tony asked her.

“Well, first off, what is Plan D?” she inquired.

Tony stuttered as he looked between (y/n) and Pepper. A nervous smile broke out accompanied by a shaky chuckle. “W-well, it’s a funny plan t-there,. Right, Pepper?” he started out.

"Don't even think about it," the woman warned him.

“I’m listening,” (y/n) said.

“And I-I want you to know that while it wasn’t a last hope, it wasn’t the most wanted either,” he continued.

“I’m counting on it. Now stop wasting my time and tell me,” (y/n) ordered him.

But just as Tony was about to open his mouth, his personal saving grace walked into the room, followed by a grumbling Happy.

_ Oh thank god _ , he thought as his eyes landed on Peter.


	23. Chapter 22

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


(Y/n) looked through the car windows as she looked at the large building of Mid Town High, an unimpressed expression on her face as usual.

“This has to be one of the more stupid ideas Stark has had yet,” she said, turning to face Happy, who was in the front seat.

“I wish I could agree, but he has done stupider things before,”

“Like taking a nuke to space?”

“ _ Worse _ ,”

Her heart flipped as she glanced back at the building. It didn’t look very intimidating, and based on what Peter told her about some of the students he knew of, it sounded like she’d have no problem here, as far as not dying went. Blending in wasn’t the problem either. It would be fitting in. Even she knew she wasn’t the most friendly or sociable person alive.

“Worried?” Happy asked her.

“No. I’ve infiltrated more difficult places,” (y/n) told him.

“Yeah, well, you’re cheating. If you had feelings, this would be hell for you,” he said.

“Hell? How?” she asked.

“Don’t want to know,” was all Happy said before changing the topic. “Catch,” he said as he tossed her something.

Her reflexes made it easy enough. She caught in both of her hands, her eyes processing a flash of light as it passed through the sunlight. She looked down at the object in her hands, seeing that it was a quarter-inch three-ringed bracelet with two thin sticks of metal holding them together. It was a traditional silver color and looked like it would fit her loosely. She moved it around, it felt a bit heavier than it looked, making her look at the underside of the rings. Her curiosity peaked as she saw multiple colored lights under each ring where it would rub up against her skin.

“Put that around your dominant hand please,” Happy told her.

(Y/n) did as he said, sliding the bracelet below her wrist. Once it was in place, she took a second to look at it and how it sat on her forearm. But her eyes widened as it beeped, and she felt it tighten up around her. What once was a loose bracelet was now a fitted one that felt as if a boa constrictor was holding on to her for dear life. Her opposite hand went to try and take it off, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t come off.

“What is this?” (y/n) demanded as she sent a glare at Happy, who shrugged it off.

“Calm down, it’s just a tracking device. We’re not going to send you out into the world with no way of knowing where you are. Each ring tracked a different thing. One is location, one of your state of health, and the other is how far you are away from Peter,” he explained.

“Peter? Why him?” she asked.

“Peter has a tagging device on him. You have to stay within at least five hundred feet of him or else it’ll go crazy. It’ll shock you a lot until you get back within five hundred feet, and it’ll alert Tony and ping your location to him. And Tony said it should work with your transformations,” Happy said.

“What about when I have to go over the five hundred feet?” she asked.

“We scheduled you so that you won’t be that far away. And if that does happen, we’ll change it to something else. All that only applies to when you go to school, or have to stay by Peter. No get out, and try not to get into fights, ok?” he said.

(Y/n) rolled her eyes, but moved to open the door nonetheless. But just as she was about to set her foot on the concrete, Happy’s eyes widened, and his hand frantically flew to his inside coat pocket.

“Wait! Stop! One more thing!” he exclaimed, causing the (h/c) haired girl to freeze, her eyes snapping around to meet his.

“What is it?” she asked, her body tensing as a dagger appeared in her hand.

“Oh, put that away. I almost forgot to give you this. Here,” he said, handing her a small device. It fit perfectly in her palm and had nothing on it except a flat red button.

“What does this do?” she asked him.

“Alert Tony, Pepper, Peter, and I if you press it. It’s for emergencies only, like another HYDRA buddy of yours,” he told her. (Y/n) nodded, continuing her way out of the car and up the steps of the building.

Meanwhile, Peter was sitting in his class, watching as Mrs. Warren worked on her computer, checking the students’ attendance off as they walked in. As normal, Flash was usually the first one in all his classes, due to his desire to be the first and fastest student as possible. And Peter was left in the last second to last row, diagonally behind him.

Glancing up at the clock, Peter sighed. He had less than a minute to class and he still saw no sign of (y/n) yet. Usually, Mrs. Warren would hold the new kid next to her until class started, introduce them and place them down in their new seat, and get on with class. And since he was supposed to be watching out for her while she was in the school, he figured he should know better than anyone. Abd based by the way Mrs. Warren glanced and the clock and sighed, he wasn’t the only one waiting for her to show up.

As if on cue, just as the bell rang, (y/n) walked in, her black back-pack on her shoulder as she looked around the room. While other students scrambled to sit down in their seats, (y/n) walked over to Warren’s desk. Now, whether she knew it or not, the class’s silent attention was on her as she and their teacher exchanged quiet words before shaking hands. Mrs. Warren rose from her desk as (y/n) turned around to face the class.

“As you all can see, Mid Town has a new student as of today. Her name is (y/n) (l/n), and I expect you all to treat her fairly,” she announced, turning to (y/n). “Your seat for the rest of the semester is right there. I bet your table partner WILL BE COMPLETELY OVERJOYED,  _ Flash _ ,” she said, raising her voice as she turned her head to a deadpanning stare at Flash.

The said boy jerked his head up, a dazed and confused look on his face. “Umm…” he said, his eyes going from (y/n) to Mrs. Warren.

That was when a wicked idea came to Peter. 

“Fifty-one,” he whispered to Flash.

“Fifty-one!” he exclaimed.

The room was as silent as a graveyard, with every other student in the room turning to look at him with judging eyes. A bright blush filled his cheeks as well as his ears as realization and embarrassment hit him. And as Peter watched him shrink into his seat a tiny bit, he almost felt a little bad for him, but it was soon taken over by a feeling of accomplishment. He knew he was going to get shoved into a locker later but to him? It was worth every second.

Mrs. Warren sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she collected herself before turning towards (y/n) again. “Take a seat, please. And I

M sorry you’ll have to be an example, despite being the new one,” she said before walking behind her desk and in front of the whiteboard. “Now, starting where we ended yesterday, who can tell me a possible function, equation, or formula for questions four through ten?” she asked the class.

Peter watched as (y/n) sat down in her seat next to Flash, sliding her backpack off her shoulders and proceeding to dig through it, looking for a pencil and folder she had gotten for the class. As she was busy doing that, Flash turned around to glare at him, his nose scrunching up slightly as he did, causing Peter’s heart to pound a little louder and faster in his chest, and he swallowed the spit in his mouth as their eyes met.

“ _ You’re dead _ ,” Flash threateningly whispered, turning to face the board when he was sure Peter had gotten the message.

_ Still worth it _ , Peter optimistically thought as he also turned his focus on the example that Mrs. Warren was currently drawing out.

◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆

“I think my place here is compromised,” (y/n) said suddenly before she even sat down at the table. Peter looked up at her from his seat at the lunch table, halfway through biting a ham and cheese sub when she talked to him.

It was lunch now, and three classes had passed since she had first started her day. Peter was surprised to find out that, so far, he only had first hour with her. The following two classes were no more than three rooms away from his own, and her locker was right next to his. It was relieving that he wouldn’t have her all day.

“What?” he asked her, his words muffled and garbled around the food in his mouth.

“That guy in the first class. He’s planning to kill one of us, or both of us,” (y/n) told him as he swallowed his food.

When he had finally finished, an amused smile broke out on his face. “Flash?” he asked her, a faint laugh on the tip of his tongue.

(Y/n) nodded her head, her usual poker face unwavering. It was silent for a moment before Peter realized that she was being serious right now, and his smile fell. “You actually think that he’s trying to kill us?” he asked her.

“He told us “ _ you’re dead _ ” as soon as I sat down in my seat. I’ve already got half of a plan to eliminate him-”

“He’s not actually trying to kill us!” he exclaimed, his eyes widening at the mentioning of the possible assassination of his fellow classmate.

“But-”

“(Y/n), it’s an expression! He’s mad at me because I made him look like an idiot in class,” Peter explained in an irritated tone.

“... Oh,” (y/n) muttered as she decided to sit down on the opposite side Peter was on.

Peter internally sighed, choosing to end the matter and move on by continuing his lunch. But as he began to once again eat away at his sub, he noticed something.

“Where’s your lunch?” he asked her.

“I don’t have a lunch,” she said.

Peter’s brow lifted as he looked at her in confusion. “What? Mr. Stark didn’t give you anything? No lunch bag or money?” he asked her.

“No. And I ran out of my ration bars the night I got stabbed, so I have nothing on me,” she told him.

“Oh my god, you got stabbed?!”

Both Peter and (y/n)’s heads turned to see Ned holding his tray a few feet from the end of the table. His eyes were dark eyes were blown as wide as they could possibly be, and his mouth hanged open as he stared at them. His mind was racing a mile a minute, his brain beginning to piece together the clues laid out in front of him, and he turned to Peter, his lips trying to decide what would be the smart thing to avoid getting stabbed himself. And Peter looked back and forth from Ned to (y/n), a flash of brisk fear racing through his veins.

“Ned!” Peter said. “How long have you been standing there?” he asked his friend.

“Long enough to figure it out,” Ned said in a small voice as he eyed the (h/c) haired girl.

“He knows?” (y/n) asked.

Her gaze shifted to Peter and created the best glare she could and spoke in a low and threatening voice. It caused him to stumble over his words, a jumble of sounds coming from his mouth until she held up her hand. The two boys watched as she sighed, and closed her eyes, creating a moment of short silence. And when she opened her eyes again, she looked dead set at Peter. If terror hadn’t been the cause for his body freezing in place, he would’ve shrunk into his seat at the table.

“How long has he known?”

“For a while. I kinda talked to him about everything, without giving specifics. But he’s super trustworthy! I promise!” Peter said.

“You know, if it helps,” Ned said, gaining their attention. “I help Peter, so we’re actually a team. I’m the man in the chair,” he said pridefully, straightening his back to stand a little taller.

This time it was (y/n)’s turn to raise a brow and glance at Peter in confusion. As she did, Peter frantically nodded his head. Turning back to Ned, (y/n) spoke.

“Fine. You can live,” she said.

Ned smiled as he walked over and sat next to Peter, setting his tray down. “This is so cool! So are you guys, like, partners in crime or something?” he asked them.

“No. I’m just training him so that he doesn’t get killed,” (y/n) explained.

“Perfect! Then that means we can become a team. Peter’s kinda told me about your powers, but not a lot, so I still have a lot of questions,” Ned told her.

“Questions? How many?” Peter asked.

Instead of answering, Ned began to dig through his bag. His backpack was a mess only he knew how to navigate, despite not knowing how to specifically. But he ended up finding the paper he was looking for crumpled at the bottom of his backpack next to his economics homework. Pushing that aside, he pulled it out and unfolded it. Peter was able to catch a glimpse of row after row of questions leading down the paper. Most of them were in the same color, while some were done in different colors, leading the chocolate haired boy to believe he added to the list over time.

“Just a few,” Ned told them.

Peter stared in embarrassment as Ned began to ask (y/n) question after question, with said girl instantly shooting down almost everyone he threw at her.

_ Oh my god, this is like the first time Ned met Mr. Stark _ , he thought, burying his head in his hands.

Lunch passed quickly enough, with Ned reaching question fourteen with a total of three questions answered. The bell rang out, and students immediately stood from their seats and said goodbye to friends before rushing off to get to their classes before the next bell. Peter and Ned had P.E., so they always walked together to the gym in a hurry so they had as much time as they could to get changed into their gym clothes. But when (y/n) had asked them where the gym was, Peter felt all hope at getting away from her leave as that single question revealed what her next class was as well.

So, they all walked to the gym together, before going off into the locker room. It was a long but narrow room, with bathrooms in a separate part of it. In front of the locker lined walls were benches for the girls that were changing to sit on, and talk as they did.

She headed off to the bathroom stalls, where two other girls had decided to change in as well. She had been given a set of gym clothes when Stark had given her schedule for the day, but she hadn’t had a chance to add it to her magical inventory of armors. So, that left her to manually change into her clothes. It was always a weird feeling to actually pull off and slip into clothes since she just usually changed into clothes through her power. But she made it through with no fuss and walked out. Looking in the mirror, she pulled back her hair and made sure it was out of her face, and finally walked out.

Students were already doing warm-up throughout the gym, most of them in pairs as they went through different exercises. As she scanned the room, she saw Peter and Ned over at the dumbbells doing curls together. She noticed how Peter was purposely going slower to match Ned’s speed, puzzling her. To her, it made more sense to challenge yourself to get stronger. And while she did consider that he was trying to keep his relatively newfound abilities a secret, that concept boggled her mind.

_ No wonder why he needs so much work. He’s learned to suppress himself, stopping him from reaching his full potential _ , she thought.

“Hey, new girl, you need a partner or something?” a sarcastic and dry voice asked, causing (y/n) to turn around.

A girl walked up to her, her face as straight and expressionless as her own. She had dark brown that was put up into a messy and unkempt mid-high bun and dark skin. She was easily taller than (y/n) by a few inches, but not in a towering way. She wore a simple dark blue t-shirt with gray sport shorts.

“No, I don’t. Who are you?” (y/n) asked.

“I’m MJ. And I just need to do something before I get yelled at,” she said dryly.

(Y/n) was silent for a moment before answering her. “Ok. What should we start with?” she asked MJ.

“Let’s start with the sit-ups. That’s what I usually do,” she said as she began to walk over to an open area where a few other pairs were each doing a set of sit-ups before switching places. 

“So, what’s your name,” MJ asked.

“Why should I tell you?” (y/n) asked back, eyeing her suspiciously.

“I can keep calling you “new girl” if you want,” MJ said as she laid down on her back and crossed her forearms across her chest and tucked her feet towards her.

(Y/n) kneeled down and held her feet down, her heart flipping as she answered. “(Y/n),” she told her.

The two remained quiet as MJ would slowly rise before sinking to the ground again and start all over, She did this twelve times, before she and (Y/n) switched places. (Y/n) was a lot faster, with little to no resistance, secretly impressing MJ. It was when (y/n) was halfway through the first set that she talked again.

“How long have you been in town for?” she asked.

MJ noticed how (y/n)’s body tensed, and her movement stiffened for a brief second before returning to normal. “A few weeks,” she said.

“Where did you live before?” MJ pressed.

“What’s with all the questions?” (y/n) snapped, her words cutting through the air.

“I don’t know, I’m bored. And I recognized the look on your face,” MJ said.

“What look?” (y/n) asked.

As (y/n) finished her set, they switched again and were back in their original positions. Her senses were on fire, and her mind was on full alert mode as she talked. Hundreds of thoughts were rushing through her brain every time this MJ asked her a question. And her heart uncomfortably flipped repeatedly in her chest as she waited for the curly haired teen on the floor to answer her.

“You push down your emotions too. Figured you could use an ally or something like that,” MJ said.

(Y/n) stared unbelievingly at her. Her mind had stopped and only one possibility passed through her head.

_ Great, she’s planning to kill me _ , she mentally groaned.

But a second voice in her head told her not to be so rash, that MJ possibly wasn't another HYDRA agent assigned to kill her. The two sides kept fighting and trying to contradict one another, and finally, her mind settled on a solution.

_ You can’t risk blowing your cover. Just wait and see. Worst case scenario, you’re prepared if or when this girl does decide to kill you _ , she thought. With her mind at ease, she finally spoke up again, her voice as flat as usual.

“Fine. So be it,”

“Thanks… I guess?”

But as they continued to go through the different exercises, (y/n) had no idea that this was only the first of many moments with MJ, her future best friend.


End file.
